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Pictured L to R: Jeffrey Everett, Filmmaker Gregory Everett, Wayne Pharr, Kathleen Cleaver, Roland Freeman, and Long John Washington |
41st & Central: The Untold Story of the L.A. Black Panthers
L.A. Black Panthers Gather for Screening of New Film
Former members of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense gathered in Leimert Park, Los Angeles, for a screening of "41st & Central: The Untold Story of the L.A.
Black Panthers," a new film from filmmaker Gregory Everett who is the son of a Black Panther. Held at the Lucy Florence Coffeehouse and Cultural Center on Saturday, March 21, 2009 for a standing room only audience, attendees included former Communications Secretary Kathleen Cleaver. Cleaver, a law professor at the Emory School of Law in Atlanta, served as the Communications Secretary of the Black Panther Party beginning in 1967 and was the wife of Black Panther Eldridge Cleaver who was the Minister of Information.
"41st & Central: The Untold Story of the L.A. Black Panthers" is a two part documentary that follows the Southern California Chapter of the Black Panther Party from its glorious Black Power beginnings through to its tragic demise. The film explores the Party's conflict with the L.A.P.D. and the US Organization, the killings of Party Members Alprentice "Bunchy" Carter and John Huggins at U.C.L.A. in 1968, as well as the shootout between the L.A.P.D. and the Black Panthers on 41st Street and Central in 1969.
The film contains new interviews with former Black Panther Party members along with archival footage detailing the history of racism in Los Angeles from the perspective of the participants who lived to tell about it. The film includes exclusive interviews with Black Panther Party leaders Geronimo Ji Jagga and Elaine Brown about their membership in the L.A. Chapter and the U.C.L.A. murders. Also featured are L.A. Panther Members Ericka Huggins (wife of John Huggins), Roland and Ronald Freeman, Wayne Pharr, Jeffrey Everett, Long John Washington, Muhammad Mubarak, former L.A.P.D. Chief Bernard Parks, US Organization member Wesley Kabaila, U.C.L.A. Professor Scot Brown, and many others.
