Aaron Dixon Oral History Interview: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

The oral history consists of eleven digital files: 2011.174.87.1a, 2011.174.87.1b, 2011.174.87.1c, 2011.174.87.1d, 2011.174.87.1e, 2011.174.87.1f, 2011.174.87.1g, 2011.174.87.1h, 2011.174.87.1i, 2011.174.87.1j, and 2011.174.87.1k.

Aaron Dixon describes his childhood in the Midwest and in Seattle and how he became a leader in the Black Panther Party, helping to found the Seattle chapter of the Party. He helped Dixon describes in detail his family history and the influence of oral tradition on his racial consciousness. He discusses the role of the Black Student Union at the University of Washington and details how the murder of Little Bobby Hutton influenced him profoundly and led him to join the Black Panther Party. He describes the Party's influence in Seattle and Oakland, his role in the Party, tensions with the police, tensions among members, and how the goals of the Black Panther Party shifted over the during 1960s and 1970s.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: May 11, 2013
• Created by: Civil Rights History Project, American, founded 2009
• Interview of: Aaron Dixon, American, born 1949
• Interviewed by: David P. Cline Ph. D., American, born 1969
• Subject of: Black Panther Party, American, 1966 - 1982
• Subject of: Black Student Union at the University of Washington, American, founded 1968
• Subject of: University of Washington, American, founded 1861
• Subject of: Robert James Hutton, American, 1950 - 1968
• Type: video recordings
• Type: oral histories
• Type: digital media - born digital
• Medium: digital
• Dimensions: Duration: 2 hr., 27 min., 31 sec.
• Dimensions: Total: 254.44 GB
• Place collected: Seattle, King County, Washington, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: American West
• Topic: Associations and institutions
• Topic: Civil Rights
• Topic: Education
• Topic: Race relations
• Topic: Social reform
• Object number: 2011.174.87.1a-k
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in partnership with the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture and The American Folklife Center, Library of Congress Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.