Aaron Dixon Oral History Interview

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

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.

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