Artspace Exhibit:

Revolution on Trial: May Day and The People’s Art, New Haven’s Black Panthers @ 50

I had just walked into a collection of fragments of local history that have been settling for fifty years. I am not native to New Haven, but I have been attending a university right outside downtown for over three years. I’m ashamed to say it took me until my last semester to learn about this event that became a significant part of New Haven’s history.

I listened to the narratives about New Haven Black Panther members and researched the history of the Party and the New Haven trials of Ericka Huggins and Bobby Seale. The following is what I learned, and what everybody should know about advocating for the protection of black lives.

History

The Black Panther Party was founded in 1966 by Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton, and was further developed into a far-left political party that advocated against police brutality and American imperialism, in addition to preserving and protecting African-American culture and ending the oppression of black people in the United States. The Black Panther Party became one of the most influential black movement organizations of the late 1960s, and by 1970, they were a political force operating in nearly all major U.S. cities with connections to Asia and Africa.

In New Haven, their mission was to “meet the needs of the people, serve them, love them with heart and soul and never at any point divorce ourselves from the interests of the masses” (Sachs, 2020). They provided classes on political education, coordinated free clothing, breakfast programs, founded a legal aid program and free health clinic, and so much more.

The Trials

In May of 1969, nine members of the Black Panther Party were arrested in New Haven and later tried for charges relating to the murder of Panther and suspected FBI informant, Alex Rackley. Party Chairman Bobby Seale and New Haven Chapter founder Ericka Huggins were among those who were charged.

The two experienced one of the hardest struggles of their lives, but their experiences during their trials never hindered them from fighting for themselves and the black community. On her website, Huggins shares the beginning of her journey with the Black Panther Party: “My desire to serve humanity began in 1963, when I attended the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. There, I committed to serving people for the rest of my life. In 1968, at age 18, I joined the Black Panther Party.” The pair are known as robust, devoted leaders who emboldened thousands and thousands of activists nationwide during 1969, and continue to do so to this day.

The jury selection process for the first trial took four months and consisted of interviewing as much as 1,034 jurors, making a record in Connecticut for the longest-ever jury selection process. Initially, the state sought the death penalty for both Seale and Huggins, despite the lack of evidence that connected them to the murder. The jury struggled to reach a verdict and as a result, Judge Harold Mulvey, who had been formerly described as conservative judge, dismissed the charges against them. He justified his decision by stating, “I find it impossible to believe that an unbiased jury could be selected without superhuman efforts – efforts which this court, the state and these defendants should not be called upon either to make or to endure.” He very publicly doubted that any Connecticut resident could serve as a juror not influenced by the Panther-related media coverage–which was largely negative because of FBI infiltration in the media–in addition to police press conferences and statements, and their own internal prejudice, racism or bias. He firmly declared that the case should not be retried.

May Day

During the time of the trials in May 1970, the Party gained ample media coverage and drew increased attention to New Haven. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover referred to the Party as the greatest threat to homeland security and began ordering his agency to disrupt radical groups like the Panthers by using excessive illegal surveillance, policing, and infiltration into the Party by employing FBI informants. Overall, the federal government’s efforts to target Seale and Huggins, with little to no solid evidence, was seen widely as a measure to neutralize the Party by taking down its leaders (Bass, 2020).

On May first, which was referred to as, “May Day,” 15,000 supporters from across the country met on the New Haven Green across from the courthouse. The protest, organized by the Panthers, internationally recognized activists and Yale students, consisted of protest speakers and teach-ins. As more people joined and the rally grew larger and bolder, the FBI sent 4,000 National Guardsmen and 2,000 State Troopers to New Haven to contain the rally. In response to the protest and in his efforts to maintain peace, Yale President Kingman Brewster Jr. opened the university campus to protestors and offered food, shelter, and first-aid resources. This came after he publicly announced that he was truly questioning the ability of a black revolutionary to achieve a fair trial anywhere in the U.S.. “I personally want to say that I am appalled and ashamed that things should have come to such a pass in this country that I am skeptical of the ability of black revolutionaries to achieve a fair trial anywhere in the United States. In large part this atmosphere has been created by police actions and prosecutions against the Panthers in many parts of the country. It is also one more inheritance from centuries of racial discrimination and oppression (Bass, 2017).”

Final Thoughts

After attending Revolution on Trial: May Day and The People’s Art, New Haven’s Black Panthers @ 50, my vision on local art adopted a new meaning. It goes on without saying, a picture really is worth a thousand words.

The city of New Haven is densely decorated with pieces of this history, and if it weren’t for the local creative communities and activists in the city, there would be so many young people who would overlook the bold presence of the Black Panther Party in New Haven, and their historical contributions to protecting black lives all over the United States.

Resources:

Bass, P. (2020, May 04). May Day@50: City Shutters, Shudders Anew. Retrieved from

https://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/mayday50/

Bass, P. (2017, November 21). Seale/Huggins Transcript Returns To Public View. Retrieved from

https://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/seale_huggins_trial_transc

ript_returns_to_public_realm/

Huggins, E. (n.d.). Bio: Ericka Huggins Official Website. Retrieved from https://www.erickahuggins.com/bio

Sachs, W. (2020, May 05). Opinion: Remembering the New Haven Black Panthers, 50 years later.

Retrieved from https://www.nhregister.com/opinion/article/Opinion-Remembering-the-New-Haven-Black-15245108.php