Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2023, English

In this thesis, I examine the resurgence of Blaxploitation ideas in contemporary Black films, with specific focus on BlacKkKlansman (2018) and Judas and the Black Messiah (2021). I argue that these two recent films draw on historical events and Blaxploitation films of the 1970s to depict a continuum of Black resistance to anti-Black racism and social injustice. I assert that just like the Blaxploitation films served as the pop culture expression of Black social justice organizations like the Black Panther Party in the 1970s, BlacKkKlansman and Judas also articulate the importance of contemporary social justice movements like Black Lives Matter. In the introductory chapter, I establish the historical background, ideological motivation, and aesthetic signifiers of Blaxploitation films. The chapter reveals that Blaxploitation films emerged as a response to the racist representation of Black people in early mainstream Hollywood films, as well as to anti-Black racism in the wider culture. In chapter two, I interpret BlacKkKlansman as a film that yokes historical events with Blaxploitation tropes, such as Black cultural expression and collective struggles, to depict a continuum of Black resistance to anti-Black racism. In chapter three, I argue that Judas and the Black Messiah celebrates Black resistance to social injustice by valorizing the self-defense ideology and social organization of the Black Panther Party. I conclude by drawing an ideological connection between the Black Panther Party and Black Lives Matter, emphasizing the importance of both groups to Black social justice struggles.

Committee: Erin Labbie Ph.D (Committee Chair); William Albertini Ph.D (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; African Americans; Black Studies; Ethnic Studies; Film Studies

BA, Oberlin College, 2015, Comparative American Studies

Community Based Art is a model of art making which centers community and interpersonal interaction. Through an in depth case study of Brett Cook's West Oakland based project "Reflections of Healing" this thesis attempts to understand how community is both reflected and constructed in Community Based Art, as well as the political, social, and aesthetic consequences of this construction. Of particular interest are the relationships between art, community, race, class, gentrification, and self-determination. Ultimately, this thesis finds that through an ambivalent and sometimes messy process of collaboration, Reflections of Healing constructs a hopeful and positive image of community that prefigures a better world. This image does not come from nothing, but is built from a long history of organizing, activism, and community formation in Oakland, reflecting the importance of the creation of counter-hegemonic images of community, even while remaining open and inclusive for all. Although Cook intentional chooses not to face many social and political issues head on, the community constituted in the project carries with it the potential to make radical political change, and reflects the radical history of West Oakland, most significantly the history of the Black Panther Party (BPP). Cook's emphasis on healing reflects the deep traumas, both historical and contemporary, faced by many Oakland residents, particularly long term Black and Latinx residents, while remaining positive about the future. While it is not without room for critique in terms of the relationship to and definition of community, Reflections of Healing proves to be deeply meaningful for some of the participants and residents, and creates possibilities for community self-definition.

Committee: Wendy Kozol Professor (Advisor); Pablo Mitchel Professor (Committee Member); Janet Fiskio Professor (Committee Member); Shelley Lee Professor (Other) Subjects: Aesthetics; American History; American Studies; Art Criticism; Art History; Black Studies

Master of Arts in History, Youngstown State University, 2007, Department of Humanities

The Black Panther Party, an African-American political and self-defense organization formed in 1966, promoted the idea of black power through its Ten Point Program, which advocated ten basic rights for black citizens. Its mixture of Maoist-inspired politics ultimately served to scapegoat the Party for white America's interpretation of black power. The Party is one of the most misunderstood organizations in American history. Founded in Oakland, California in October 1966 by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, the Black Panther Party formed in protest to police brutality. As the Party's popularity grew, factions of the organization quickly spread across the United States, and even across the Atlantic, where the Party's ideology and politics had a tremendous influence on black Brits. Although their popularity grew, the Party became known as a militant organization that was against ‘the white man.' While some members of the Party committed acts of violence, the organization strongly advocated the use of violence only when necessary. The Party, as stated by Newton, was not anti-white, but rather against individuals who sought to condemn ‘the black man.' The ideology of the Black Panther Party put the welfare of ‘the people' above all else; the organization simply strived to better the community. The organization fully supported the black power movement, as one of the Party's original members, Stokely Carmichael, was one of the earliest individuals to write and preach on the subject. Through the Party's literature, the concept of black power spread rapidly across the nation, and the Atlantic, and made a particularly strong impact on blacks who lived in inner-city ghettos and projects.

Committee: Anne York (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2010, History

When did the 1960s end? Scholarly opinion holds that the spirit, energy and optimism that characterize the decade succumbed to infighting and fragmentation as the decade came to a close in 1968. My dissertation challenges this assertion by examining two influential and understudied student movements at San Francisco State College and City College of New York in 1968 and 1969. Often overlooked in favor of student protests that occurred on elite Ivy League campuses, these protests were characterized by multiracial coalitions that challenged the Eurocentric curriculum and lack of diversity at their colleges. These protests were watershed moments in higher education, and they brought about the creation of ethnic studies and the increased acceptance of students of color. In addition, the philosophy, tactics, and rhetoric espoused by these students contributed to the creation of a Third World Left, which included these students and their allies, as well as other activists of color. The activism of the Third World Left continued into the 1970s and became an important site in the continuation of radical politics, thus belying the notion that “the sixties” ended in declension in 1968. This dissertation will show that when diverse sites of activism are explored, rather than solely the white New Left, many movements outlasted the end of the 1960s, including many groups that were spawned as a result of the Third World student movement. This dissertation foregrounds the processes of coalition building among activists of color, as well as the rhetoric and philosophy developed by these students. By examining the many archival sources such as artifacts and documents from the strike, as well as interviews and oral histories with the activists, in addition to the sparse secondary sources that exist about the protests, I will argue for the seminal role of the Third World student movement in this period.

Committee: Judy Tzu-Chun Wu PhD (Advisor); Lilia Fernandez PhD (Committee Member); Hasan Kwame Jeffries PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: African Americans; American History; American Studies; Black History; Education History; Higher Education; Hispanic Americans; History; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Multicultural Education; Native Americans

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2005, History

“Creating Revolution as We Advance” studies the Black Panther Party's rise during the mid-sixties. The Nationalist aesthetic was contextualized by the non-violent civil disobedience theory of Dr. King, and Malcolm X's rhetoric. The movement's genesis was the majority community's incessant attacks upon African-Americans Civil and Human rights. Additionally, the failure of the Civil and Voting Rights Acts to affect Black lives in a tangible manner was felt by all. The Bay Area of California was the epicenter for American radicalism. Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, two veterans of the bourgeoning Oakland Black protest movement, created an activist alternative. Unbeknownst to Newton and Seale, the problems they were addressing were universal to Black urbanites. The Black Panther Party possessed unprecedented revolutionary potential for this latest generation of activists. By assuming the vanguard position, Newton and Seale advanced a politic that transgressed against Nationalist parochialism. Deriving their notoriety as a result of the gun, the co-founders were revolutionary to emasculated Black urbanites. Not until their attempt to replicate the Panther program did admirers become aware of Panther politics peculiarities. The Panther's adoption of class was debated by all. Ironically, such sophistication set the stage for their. The Panthers public embrace of left-leaning groups and individuals shocked all. Said alliances made the Black Panther Party the “greatest threat to the internal security of the United States.” Although initial adversarial attacks emanated from the local level, the Panthers were targeted by the federal government. “Creating Revolution as We Advance” focuses upon FBI attacks.

Committee: Warren Van Tine (Advisor) Subjects: History, Black

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2012, History (Arts and Sciences)

This thesis explores the experiences of black gay activists in Cold War America. First, the project highlights the lives of black gay men like Bayard Rustin and Aaron Henry who were prominent leaders in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. After isolating the major issues these activists faced within black communities as a result of their sexuality, the remainder of the thesis focuses on a new vision of gay acceptance in radical black circles first presented by Black Panther leader Huey Newton in 1970. In short, Newton believed that blacks should form a radical coalition with gays as a way to strengthen both groups in opposition to the dominant social and political hierarchies of Cold War America. In the end, however, Newton was not able to form such a coalition because of notions of respectability that governed many civil rights organizations' agendas and the socially conservative nature of mainline black churches.

Committee: Katherine Jellison (Advisor); Kim Little (Committee Member); Kevin Mattson (Committee Member) Subjects: American History

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2012, History

This thesis explores the politics of commemoration surrounding three sites of struggle related to the civil rights movement. By contrasting the accepted civil rights narrative with the counter-memory of the these contentious spaces, I illustrate how and why the Black Panther Party headquarters in Chicago, the birthplace of the Ku Klux Klan in Pulaski, Tennessee and various sites related to Emmett Till in both Chicago and Mississippi fail to fit into the official narrative and memory of the civil rights movement. Using each site as a case study, I challenge the traditional assumption that civil rights memorials are thorough and complete by exposing significant spaces that are actively neglected in the collective memory. Through analysis and interpretation of these contentious landscapes, I demonstrate the ways in which these sites serve as both literal and symbolic battlegrounds for not only civil rights, but also the constant struggle for representation and commemoration.

Committee: Marguerite Shaffer PhD (Advisor); Nishani Frazier PhD (Committee Member); Helen Sheumaker PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; American History; American Studies; History; Museums