Poster for a Black Theatre for Black Panthers benefit performance: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A poster advertising a benefit performance presented by Radical Theatre Repertory to raise funds for Black Panther members in jail. In black ink on white background, the poster features a center illustration of silohuetted figures dressed in uniforms and holding long guns. Surrounding the illustration are names of theatre groups and works. Most of the dramatic works are written and/or directed by Leroi Jones (Amiri Baraka), Ed Bullins, Roscoe Orman, and Enrique Vargas. At the top-center of the poster is printed: [BLACK THEATRE FOR / THE BLACK PANTHERS / A BENEFIT FOR ELDRIDGE CLEAVER AND / OTHER BLACK PANTHERS IN JAIL / AT FILLMORE EAST / MONDAY MAY 20 / 8 PM].

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: May 20, 1968
• Issued by: Radical Theatre Repertory, American, 1968 - 1970
• Subject of: Amiri Baraka, American, 1934 - 2014
• Subject of: Eldridge Cleaver, American, 1935 - 1998
• Subject of: Ed Bullins, American, born 1935
• Subject of: Black Panther Party, American, 1966 - 1982
• Subject of: Radical Theatre Repertory, American, 1968 - 1970
• Subject of: Roscoe Orman, American, born 1944
• Subject of: Bobby Seale, American, born 1936
• Type: posters
• Medium: ink on paper
• Dimensions: H x W: 23 × 29 in. (58.4 × 73.7 cm)
• Place depicted: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Literature
• Topic: Prisons
• Topic: Repertory Theatre
• Topic: Theatre
• Topic: Theatre companies
• Object number: 2014.63.36
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• 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 displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: Public domain Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.