Explore Black History

2006

A small, pocket-sized blue notebook titled “3 Black Panthers & the Last Slave Plantation” owned by Herman Wallace while incarcerated at Angola Prison.
The front cover’s title is printed in bold orange ink. The dark silhouettes of three human figures, one with their fist raised, feature prominently against a blue background and black barbed wire. Below the title, in white ink, is: [Narrated By Mumia Abu-Jamal / Interviews with: / Bo (Rita) Brown / Emory Douglass / Fred Hampton jr / David Hilliard / Yuri Kochiyama / Malik Rahim / Gail Shaw / Rod Coronado / Althea Francois / Noelle Hanrahan / Billy X Jennings / Kiilu Nyasha / Geronimo (ji jaga) Pratt / Luis “Bato” Talamantez / & many others…].
The inside of the notebook contains lineless white pages, on which are written varying details; names, telephone numbers, notes, etc.
On the back cover of the notebook is a prominent illustration of black barbed wire. There is an extended summary of the story of the “Angola Three” printed in yellow ink and a small black-and-white image of the Three (Herman Wallace, Robert King, and Albert Woodfox). The summary reads: [3 Black Panthers and the Last Slave Plantation tells the gripping story of / three member of the Black Panther Party, known collectively as / the Angola 3. We explore their extraordinary struggles for dignity, justice, and / human rights while incarcerated in Angola Prison in Louisiana, one of the / most brutal and racist prisons in the United States. / The Angola 3 were politicized through contact with members of the Black / Panther Party while inside prison, and in 1971 formed one of the only / recognized prison Panther chapters. Under conditions of segregation, / racism, and repression, they organized other prisoners to build a movement / for their rights; and astonishing feat given Angola Prison’s history of repression. / The focus of 3 Black Panthers and the Last Slave Plantation is on the hidden / facts and cover-ups that have surrounded and clouded their cases since the / 1970s. In addition, the movie explores the political climate of the 1960s and 70s that produced political prisoners in America, situating the Angola 3 within / the political unrest of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements that / emerged within prison walls in America. / Award winning journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal narrates from Pennsylvania’s / death row, taking the viewer through the history of Angola Prison as it was / transformed from a Civil War era slave plantation to a hard labor prison. / After 33+ years in solitary confinement for their political beliefs, the Angola 3 / has gained international calls for their release. Amnesty International, the / parliaments of Belgium, Netherlands, Indonesia, and Portugal as well as the / African National Congress in South Africa have decried their solitary isolation / as cruel and unusual punishment and recognize their status as political / prisoners within the US prison system. / 3 Black Panthers and the L. S. P. / encourages viewers to think critically / about the history of racism in U.S. / prisons, and offers possibilities to / become active in changing the / conditions of the prison system.].
Below the summary, printed in black ink inside of a pink square, is: [OBSTACLE / ILLUSIONS / media]. At the bottom of the cover, printed in bold white ink inside of a long grey rectangle is: [www.3blackpanthers.com / Running Time: 1:45:00 Copyright 2006 ?S?].

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Herman Wallace Archival Collection

Books and Published Materials

Black Power (Black Pride)

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Maria Hinds

National Museum of African American History and Culture

A2018.36.1.10

notebooks

Cover: © 2006 ?S? Interior: © Herman Wallace
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

ink on paper (fiber product) and cardboard

H x W x D: 4 3/4 × 3 3/8 × 1/4 in. (12 × 8.5 × 0.7 cm)

Title • 3 Black Panthers & the Last Slave Plantation

nmaahc_A2018.36.1.10

NMAAHC

3 BLACK PANTHERS & THE LAST SLAVE PLANTATION

National Museum of African American History and Culture

CC0

2000s

Abu-Jamal, Mumia • King, Robert Hillary • Black Panther Party • Obstacle Illusions Media • Woodfox, Albert • Wallace, Herman • Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola

West Feliciana Parish • Angola • United States • North and Central America • Louisiana

Justice • Prisons • Activism • American South • Law • Discrimination • Men • Race • Politics • Black Power (Black Pride)

City • Angola • County • West Feliciana Parish • State • Louisiana • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America

Images

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