They Held Their Fists Up: The Myth of the Violent Black Panther and the Making of the Angola 3
Date of Award
2015
Document Type
Open Access Thesis
Department
History
First Advisor
Kent Germany
Second Advisor
Patricia Sullivan
Abstract
This work is an analysis of the historical memory and media framing of the Angola 3, leaders of the Louisiana State Penitentiary based chapter of the Black Panther Party. Members of the Angola 3 were sentenced to life in solitary confinement for the murder of prison guard Brent Miller, and I argue that media framing and depictions of the Black Panther Party as violent have resulted in the continued incarceration of Albert Woodfox, and has distorted the aims of the Angola 3’s organizing. I also argue that Warden Burl Cain’s harsh opposition to the Black Panther Party has inadvertently given activists, artists and former members of the Black Panther Party the opportunity to craft a revisionist narrative of the Black Panther Party.
Rights
© 2015, Holly Genovese
Recommended Citation
Genovese, H.(2015). They Held Their Fists Up: The Myth of the Violent Black Panther and the Making of the Angola 3. (Master's thesis). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/3114