Maison Francaise
Institute for Research in African American Studies
Institute for Comparative Literature and Society
IRAAS Conversations
Friday, October 28, 2022 at 4:00pm est
“Comrade Sisters- Women of the Black Panther Party”
with
Stephen Shames, Ericka Huggins ,
Claudia Chesson-Williams, Lynn French and Flores Forbes
In-Person attendance ( Columbia, Barnard College & affiliates Only)
Location: Maison Francais – Buell Hall Columbia University
Registration for attendance required. Space is limited, Registration does not guarantee admission
Registration: https://forms.gle/vLFbMrVMWQKgG4xT6
Online attendance: General Public via LiveStream https://bit.ly/3CPna5I
Speaker Bios
Stephen Shames has authored over 10 monographs, including Power to the People: The World of the Black Panthers (with Bobby Seale) and The Black Panthers. His images are in the collections of 40 museums and foundations. Dedicated to promoting social change, Steve covers the stories of those most frequently overlooked by society.
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As an activist, former political prisoner and leader in the Black Panther Party, Ericka Huggins has devoted her life to the equitable treatment of all human beings. She lectures across the country and internationally. Ericka was a Party member for 14 years and served as Director of the renowned Oakland Community School (1973-1981.)
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A Panther Woman, wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, Claudia Chesson-Williams joined the Black Panther Party just before her 18th birthday, ready to be a warrior and fight and die for her people. Claudia is a member of the Black Panther Commemoration Committee NY and is integrally involved in planning the committee’s 14th annual BPP film Festival, whose theme is “Remembering Our Political Prisoners.”
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Lynn C. French lived in Chicago from 1966-1973, where she was a student at Roosevelt University and active in the Black Power Movement – ultimately joining the Black Panther Party’s Illinois Chapter in 1968. She has spent the last 42 years working in community development and housing policy in Washington, DC. After retirement from the District Government, French began her service as Executive Director of Hope and a Home, Inc., a transitional housing program for low-income, homeless families in the City – including administering a fund that sends youth to college.
Flores A. Forbes is an associate vice president for Community Affairs with a focus on urban planning, economic development, entrepreneurship, community development and criminal justice change. Flores is our office’s liaison to Columbia Business School and The Center for Justice. He works closely with the Columbia Harlem Small Business Development Center, The Tamer Center for Social Enterprise, and The Center for Justice specifically on the University’s Justice in Education agenda.
Fall Semester Events Co-Sponsors
Center for the Study of Ethnicity & Race-Columbia University
Department of Art History & Archaeology -Columbia University
Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation- Columbia University
Institute for Comparative Literature & Society-Columbia University
Institute for the Study of Sexuality & Gender-Columbia University
The School of the Arts-Columbia University
