Panther 35th Anniversary-It's About Time Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit source - itsabouttime3@juno.com BLACK PANTHER PARTY 35th YEAR ANNIVERSARY Reunion and Conference - Oct. 11-14, 2001 University of the District of Columbia Washington, DC The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was founded in October 1966 and was a vital and influential organization in the Black Liberation Struggle. The Party's Survival Programs were models for work that is still needed in poor and oppressed communities today and included Breakfast for Schoolchildren, Busing to Prisons, Free Medical Clinics, Food Giveaways and Sickle Cell Anemia Screening. Unlike other Civil Rights organizations, the Black Panther Party (BPP) additionally insisted upon the right of all people to defend themselves from racist attack. Police violence in the community spurred the Panthers' police patrols as well as efforts to gain political control of police activities through community control initiatives. J. Edgar Hoover's FBI and other police agencies set out to destroy the BPP which was deemed to be the "number one security threat to the United States." Over a period of five years, there were over 1800 arrests of BPP members, many on trumped up charges. There were 30 murders of BPP members by police and their agents. Many people were exiled, destroying their families. The FBI program used to "neutralize" party members - COINTELPRO - authorized illegal acts and false charges, including direct armed assaults on BPP offices and homes. Although portrayed as violent and dangerous, the real threat was the Party's dedication to political education and study. Panthers not only carried guns, they also carried books and studied ideology as well as health, nutrition and law as part of "serving the people." The demise of the BPP left many casualties in its wake; most notably the many political prisoners who have yet to find justice. The continuing incarceration of Herman Bell, Jalil Bottom, Eddie Conway, Romaine Chip Fitzgerald and many others is one reason why it is important that we come together on this anniversary for a working conference to plan strategies and consolidate forces to win their release. Many former Black Panther Party members and supporters continue to work for social justice in their respective communities. It is our responsibility to define and transmit our legacy to the comrades of the future. The It's About Time Committee, based in Sacramento,CA, is comprised of former members of the Black Panther Party and its supporters. The committee publishes a quarterly newsletter that is available on line at www.itsabouttimebpp.com. It's About Time is sponsoring the upcoming Black Panther Party 35th Year Anniversary and Conference to be held Oct. 11-14, 2001 at the University of the District of Columbia in Washington DC. The conference will feature workshops on BPP history, organizing techniques - especially for youth, police brutality, the death penalty, reparations, women in the struggle, revolutionary art, the need for solidarity in the struggle and others. There will be a panel discussions on reparations and political prisoners. There will be hearings on COINTELPRO with testimony from victims which will focus on strategies to win freedom for those political prisoners and exiles whose cases were tainted by illegal COINTELPRO activities. Several members of the Congressional Black Caucus have been invited to hear this testimony as part of ongoing investigations. There will also be ongoing film showings, photo, art and historical memorabilia displays. It's About Time calls on all former BPP members, community workers and all progressive people to come together for this historic event. We especially encourage young people and students to attend the conference to learn organizing techniques and to network with each other to organize around issues that impact them directly. Anyone interested in participating in the youth program can contact Ameejill Whitlock at ameejill@hotmail.com or phone 410-815-2298. For regular updates on the conference program and to access a registration form, please visit our website: itsabouttimebpp.com or write to It's About Time, PO Box 221100, Sacramento, CA 95822. Phone 916-455-0908, e-mail: itsabouttime3@juno.com Dare to Struggle, Dare to Win! * UPDATE: The program for the 35th Year BPP Reunion and Conference is continuing to develop: - David Dubois, professor at U. Mass at Amherst and former editor of the Black Panther Party newspaper, has agreed to participate in the panel on reparations. - Bobby Seale, co-founder and former Chairman of the BPP, will be conducting a workshop on grassroots organizing in the high-tech era. - Several Congresspeople, including Bob Rush, Cynthia McKinney, Barbara Lee, Maxine Waters and Jesse Jackson Jr., have been personally invited to sit on the panel for the Tribunal on Cointelpro. A major feature of the conference, there will be hearings with testimony from Cointelpro victims which hopefully will be used in the ongoing Congressional investigation. We encourage everyone to send in your registrations as soon as possible as funds are needed to continue the organizing process for a conference this size. Any former Black Panther Party members, NCCF members or community workers who are not on our mailing list, please send us your address and other contact information so we can keep you informed. Anyone who would like more info or registration materials can write or call, or visit our website at: http://itsabouttimebpp.com * Ads for the program are being sold to offset printing costs. The fees are: $200 for a full 8-1/2 X 11 page, $100 for A half page, $50 for a quarter page and $25 for a business card size ad. Individuals will be listed as donors for $15 and families for $25. Make checks payable to: It's About Time Mail to: It's About Time PO Box 221100 Sacramento, CA 95822. Ads should be camera-ready; they will appear as they are presented, and materials submitted will not be returned. The deadline is Sept. 15, 2001. Get Involved - take out ad for your Union or organization! * It's About Time is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Tax-deductible donations to support the conference, the newsletter or Books Behind Bars, a program that sends books and other reading materials to prisoners around the country, can be sent to the above address. ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytrc-08.31.01-01:55:16-24062