In November 2018, the Department of History’s own Professor Curtis Austin presented one of four talks in the 2018 Wings: UO Presidential Speaker Series in Portland.

Hosted by University of Oregon President Michael Schill, the Wings series consists of curated talks and performances to highlight the research, innovation and creativity of UO professors. This session included diverse topics on natural disaster monitoring, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the Black Power Movement, as well as a chamber choir performance.

Curtis Austin’s talk, “History of the Black Panther Party”, addressed the context, development, and meanings around the Black Panther Party, which had primarily become a community service organization providing health checkups and daily breakfast to more than 25,000 children across the country. Later, an FBI counter intelligence program looked to radicalize the group.

Watch the recording of Austin’s talk on YouTube.

Curtis Austin is an associate professor for the UO Department of History, specializing in civil rights and the Black Power Movement. He is the author of Up Against the Wall: Violence in the Making and Unmaking of the Black Panther Party.