The ACLU of Oregon’s Resistance Book Club presents a 35mm print of THE BLACK POWER MIXTAPE 1967-1975.
A treasure trove of intimate moments and remarkably unguarded interviews with many of the leaders of the Black Power Movement including Angela Davis, Stokely Carmichael, Bobby Seale, and Eldridge Cleaver, languished in the basement of Swedish Television for 30 years. Director Göran Olsson and co-producer Danny Glover bring this 16 mm footage to light in a mosaic of images, music, and narration chronicling the evolution one of our nation’s most indelible turning points, the Black Power movement. Music by Questlove and Om’Mas Keith, and commentary from Erykah Badu, Talib Kweli, and Melvin Van Peebles give the historical footage a fresh, contemporary resonance and makes the film an exhilarating, unprecedented account of an American revolution.
A post screening talkback exploring the Black Power movement, the influence of movements on political resistance in today’s world, and Angela Davis’ enduring legacy.
Join the talkback discussion by reading selected excerpts, including work by Angela Davis and other writers, that explores criminal justice policy and racism, among other topics.
Resistance Book Club Syllabus
Topic 1: Power, Privilege, and Oppression
- The Uses of Anger by Audre Lorde
- Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh
- How Portland is Driving Away New Residents of Color by Zahir Janmohamed
- #RaceAnd: Jamia Wilson video (3:17 min)
- Normal Life Chapter 2: “What’s Wrong with Rights?” by Dean Spade
- Are Prisons Obsolete? Chapter 1: “Introduction-Prison Reform or Prison Abolition?” By Angela Davis
- The Ordinary Person’s Guide to Empire by Arundhati Roy pages 7-16
- States of Denial, Chapter 4: “Accounting for Atrocities” by Stanley Cohen
Topic 2: Anti-Blackness
- White Artist’s Painting of Emmett Till at Whitney Biennial Draws Protests by Randy Kennedy
- Emmett Till’s Coffin, a Hangman’s Scaffold and a Debate Over Cultural Appropriation by Hilarie M. Sheets
- 7 Ways Non-Black POC Perpetuate Anti-Blackness in their Communities by Palmira Muniz
- Ferguson Must Force Us to Face Anti-Blackness by Michael P. Jeffries
- Freedom is a Constant Struggle, Chapter 6: “From Michael Brown to Assata Shakur, the Racist State of America Persists”
- 4 Person-to-Person Things I do to Address Anti-Blackness con Mi Gente by CarmenLeah Ascencio
- From the War on Poverty to the War on Crime, Chapter 1: “The War on Black Poverty” by Elizabeth Hinton
- The New Jim Crow, Chapter 3: “The Color of Justice” by Michelle Alexander
Topic 3: Policing, Criminal Legal Reform, and Prison Abolition
- No One is Disposable: Everyday Practices of Prison Abolition (videos) by Reina Gosset and Dean Spade
- Police Killings: The Price of Being Disabled and Black in America by David Perry
- Multnomah County Racial and Ethnic Disparities Report
- Captive Gender, “From a Native Trans Daughter” by Kalaniopua Young
- Are Prisons Obsolete? Chapter 6: “Abolitionist Alternatives?” By Angela Davis
- Police Brutality, Chapter 10: “Under the Veil of Suspicion” by Jill Nelson
- Queer (In)Justice, Chapter 6: “False Promises” by Joey L. Mogul, Andrea J. Ritchie, Kay Whitlock
