"Revolution in Our Lifetime": The Black Panther Party and Political Organizing in Baltimore, 1968-1973
April 12-May 26, 2024
“Revolution in Our Lifetime”: The Black Panther Party and Political Organizing in Baltimore, 1968–1973 explores the founding, programs, and everyday activities of the Black Panther Party’s Baltimore chapter, as well as the party’s ideological foundations and state repression it experienced. The exhibit further examines the party’s links to other political organizations in the city within the broader context of political organizing in the period. The exhibit features rare artifacts, documents, and photographs, as well as copies of the party’s newspaper.
The exhibit examines the persistent racial segregation and bigotry that shaped the city at the time, which animated Black political organizing. Visitors will learn about the power of grassroots organizing against racism, as well as how regular people made demands for revolution in Baltimore. The Baltimore chapter’s history also illustrates how police mobilized copious resources to undermine and destroy the Black Panther Party. “Revolution in Our Lifetime” also addresses legacies and provides contemporary lessons from this era of political ferment in Baltimore. There are four main sections in the exhibition:
- “The Seeds of The Revolution: Children and Childhood in the Baltimore Chapter of the Black Panther Party” by Kai Clemons
- “Breaking Down the Ivory Tower: Dr. Rev. Chester L. Wickwire” by Gerardo Fontes
- “Not Just Attica: Carceral Uprisings in Baltimore and Maryland in the late 1960s and early 1970s” by Emma Petite
- “Dare to Struggle and Dare to Win: The Baltimore chapter of the Black Panther Party’s modification and application of Maoism in community organizing” by Kristian Whitehead
“Revolution in Our Lifetime”: The Black Panther Party and Political Organizing in Baltimore, 1968–1973 is curated by a team of students from Johns Hopkins University and Morgan State University, with guidance from Dr. Heather Furnas, Dr. Victoria Harms, and Dr. Stuart Schrader (Johns Hopkins University).
The team consists of:
- Kai Clemons is a MA student at Morgan State University studying African American Studies whose overall research interest focuses on the nuances, cultivation, and sustainability of Black identity among Black youth.
- Gerardo Fontes is a Junior majoring in Political Science, International Studies, and History at Johns Hopkins University.
- Emma Petite recently graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a double major in Political Science and International Studies with a concentration in racial politics.
- Kristian Whitehead is a Junior majoring in History at Morgan State University.
The exhibit is supported by Inheritance Baltimore: Humanities and Arts Education for Black Liberation; the Chloe Center for the Critical Study of Racism, Immigration, and Colonialism; and the Center for Africana Studies at Johns Hopkins University. It draws on the holdings of the Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries, University of Baltimore Special Collections and Archives, University of Maryland Baltimore County Special Collections, Goucher College Special Collections & Archives, the Maryland Center for History and Culture, and others.
Details
Date: April 12, 2024-May 26, 2024
When: Open during regular hours, plus after-hours special events
Location: The Peale, 225 Holliday Street, Baltimore
Collaborators
Curators: A team of students from Johns Hopkins University and Morgan State University, with guidance from Dr. Heather Furnas, Dr. Victoria Harms, and Dr. Stuart Schrader (Johns Hopkins University).
Donations
Cost: Free | Donations Welcome
Programs at The Peale are often free. Please help us keep programs free for all.
Exhibition Events
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