(DURHAM, FEBRUARY 9, 2016) – At the 50-year anniversary of the founding of the Black Panther Party, a new film by Stanley Nelson explores the history of that movement, the social inequities it sought to address, and the response it provoked – all themes that are still timely.Three free screenings and discussions of the Independent Lens film The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution will be held in New Hampshire, and Black Panther Party member Omar Barbour will participate in the conversation at each event in Peterborough, Rindge and Concord. These events are being held in partnership with New Hampshire Public Television as part of the national Indie Lens Pop Up series and NHPTV’s Community Cinema series. Barbour is the President of the National Association for Alumni of the Black Panther Party (NAABPP)."We are thrilled that Omar Barbour is coming to New Hampshire to deepen and enrich our understanding of what the Black Panther movement was about, and is still about today," said Mariposa Museum Executive Director Karla Hostetler, who will moderate the Peterborough discussion with Omar Barbour and is a co-presenter of the event.Locations of Free Screening & Discussion Events:Tuesday, February 16 at 4 PM: Franklin Pierce University, RindgeTuesday, February 16 at 7 PM: Peterborough Community Theatre, sponsored by the Mariposa Museum and PCT. Reservations for the screening are recommended: please RSVP to
movies@pctmovies.comWednesday, February 17 at 6:30 PM: Red River Theatres, Concord. Please RSVP at
redrivertheatres.org The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution is the first feature-length documentary to explore the Black Panther Party, its significance to the broader American culture, the cultural and political awakening it represented, and the painful lessons wrought when a movement derails. Master documentarian Stanley Nelson weaves rare archival footage with the voices of the people who were there: police, FBI informants, journalists, white supporters and detractors, and Black Panthers who remained loyal to the party and those who left it. Featuring Kathleen Cleaver, Jamal Joseph, and many others, this film is a vibrant chronicle of this pivotal movement that birthed a new revolutionary culture in America.Speaker Omar Barbour is a seven-year veteran of the Black Panther Party. He joined the party in 1967 at the age of 15, and served in many roles for the organization. He is a founding member and current president of the National Alumni Association of the Black Panther Party (NAABPP). "The film helps dispel some of the myths about what the party is about, in the context of the 10 Point Program, and it also reveals that many of the issues the party addressed are as relevant today as they were 50 years ago," Barbour said. "There have been tremendous gains and progress. We have elected a Black President of the United States, but that achievement is not a panacea for the underlying social ills that remain. "The Panthers at their core were about solidarity in overcoming racism. You can't fight racism with racism," Barbour said. "That message can resonate now, more than ever.