Gayle Asali Dickson reflects on her role in the Black Panther Party and the importance of Black History Month.
Growing up in Oakland, I was raised to believe that education was the key to freedom, whether it was getting out of poverty, being seen as a human being, or opening up more opportunities. In 1969, the Summer of Soul Festival in Harlem, New York documented a cultural revolution that took place in the Black community, throughout this nation, in the arts, in music, in our hair and in our clothes. We greeted friends and strangers as family – “Hey Brother/Hey Sister,” and gave Black Power Salutes. I am living proof of this cultural revolution and I believe it set me on the path that eventually led me to the Black Panther Party.
At Merritt Community College my worldview expanded. I learned I was part of a great African heritage from the study of African masks and the art of ancient Egypt. I joined the Black Student Union. I participated in the boycott of Housewives Market in downtown Oakland to protest employment discrimination, as well as the killing of Little Bobby Hutton by police while his hands were up.
My husband and I eventually joined the Black Panther Party in 1970. I was later assigned to the Party’s newspaper. I typeset the articles and drew for the back pages where I learned how to put social commentary into my drawings. Participating in campaigns like “Oakland: A Base of Operation” taught me to visualize a new reality, and lifelong concepts like “Serve the People, Body and Soul,” I still carry with me.
With Black history constantly being under assault in this nation, it is important for young people to recognize that the world is their classroom, to study and think critically about and recognize, in America, Black history is American history. With a Perspective, I’m Gayle Asali Dickson.