In Response to Police Brutality, a Museum Exhibit as a Community Resource

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Archaeology, Activism, and Protest", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The Oakland Museum of California’s “Power to the People'' exhibit celebrates the Black Panther Party (BPP) and its influence on contemporary social movements, such as Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp (KYRC) and Autopsy Initiative, which pays for autopsies in suspected cases of police brutality. This form of mass murder of African Americans has spurred a reevaluation of how museums and agencies (such as the National Park Service) collect and present the stories they tell. Collecting and curating the objects of protest and promoting the stories of activism helps Americans realize that protests and social movements are not isolated events. Each is part of a long history of struggle. The “Power to the People'' exhibit is an example of how stewards of history (archaeologists, historians, and museum specialists) can respond to activism. The exhibit, like the KYRC, offers those who are disproportionately affected by police brutality resources they can use.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2024   •
• Archaeology, Activism, and Protest

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow