Paul Robeson 125th Birthday Celebration - Reception & Panel Discussion - featuring speakers Frederika Newton, Solomon Jones, Michael Africa, Jr. and music by violinist Jack Drummond, and Bert Harris & the Afro Jazz Trio with vocalist Gerri Oliver

Friday, April 14, 2023 - 5:30pm - 8:00pm

Venue: 
Belmont Mansion
Age: 
All Ages

Join us for a timely panel discussion on Black Americans featuring longtime activist Fredrika Newton, president and co-founder of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation in Oakland, CA. Newton, widow of Huey Newton, is a former Black Panther Party member.

The event will be both live and virtual. It will be held at the Historic Belmont Mansion.

The aim of the foundation is to provide an accurate history of the Party based on Huey’s archives, to preserve its legacy and commemorate its work. The archives are located at Stanford University. Huey and Bobby Seale founded the party in 1966.

The foundation has developed educational materials, organized forums and exhibited historical documents from the Party archives. In 2021, a bust of Huey was installed in Oakland, and the street where he was killed in 1989 was designated “Dr. Huey P. Newton Way.” The foundation’s seeks to ensure that the Party has a permanent space in Oakland’s history through a monument, pop-up exhibits and a museum. Fredricka believes that the Party helped set the stage and cleared the path for the Black Lives Matter movement.

The panel will also feature Solomon Jones, commentator/author/columnist; activist Michael Africa Jr. of the MOVE Archival Project, among others. A reception will be held before the panel discussion.