The Tripod

On Wednesday, March 5, in honor of Black History Month and Women's History Month, former Black Panther Party leader Elaine Brown delivered her second Trinity lecture called, "The Struggle For Justice: Then And Now," in her second visit to Trinity. Sponsored by the Women and Gender Resource Action Center (WGRAC), the Trinity College Black Women's Organization (TCBWO), Trinity College Black Student Union (IMANI), and the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the program highlighted the historic activist's "vision of an inclusive and egalitarian society, focusing on resolving problems of race, gender oppression and class disparity in the United States," as per the abstract featured on Trinity Exchange.

Brown began her lecture by cautioning the audience, "I'm long-winded." Considering that her presentation was over two hours long, it may have been a good warning. She first addressed the current presidential candidates, going so far as to compare Hilary Clinton to a "Miss Ann," a derogatory term for perceived racists/bigoted white women, and saying that John McCain "is kind of scary," and that he would probably be elected president, "unless he drops dead, which is a possibility."

She continued along the political vein remarking on Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, saying, "You can't turn her into a sister." She emphasized the point that Rice should not be labeled a success story, as she is "participating in killing others, other women."

Brown was very blunt and direct in her comments, throwing in such remarks throughout her discussion as, "Bill Cosby - is he ever going to go away?"

Brown also spoke about preconceived notions and stereotypes. Her good use of one-liners helped convey her message and made those in the audience laugh, chuckle, and sometimes even gasp with the shock value of her statements, although she did say, "Don't act like I'm saying something you don't know!"

She then launched into a slew of statistics to highlight what she called "glaring disparities," mentioning that there is "something wrong with the scheme of things in America." She quickly reviewed the history of the US, recounting how colonists "wiped out 30 tribes, even Pocahontas' daddy," and then enslaved "generations upon generations." She called the Supreme Court's Plessy v. Ferguson decision "devastating," and "the beginning of American apartheid." Brown also went into specifics about the Black Panther Party, describing the numerous coalitions they formed with such groups as the Brown Berets, the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), and the Irish Republican Army (IRA), because as Brown put it, "our struggles were interconnected."

At the end of the evening, Brown received a standing ovation and spent about 45 minutes answering questions from the audience, which covered a wide range or issues and topics such as the feasibility of peacefully achieving goals to recommending what the Trinity community can do to help further Brown's aims.

Brown's straight-forward, no-nonsense attitude was clearly a crowd-pleaser.

"I think it was vital for Trinity students to hear Brown's message because she was being the most real with us that I think I have ever heard any other speaker be," said Jasmin Agosto '10, a student from Gilmore's class.

Agosto continued, "She shared experiences with us at the dinner table that we all felt were extremely personal and with that uplifting."

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