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Date: 2/8/2023
SPRINGFIELD – Dr. Ismael Ali holds a browning copy of a newspaper published by the Black Panther Party in 1969. The newspaper is among the elements of the civil rights movement that he said requires “clarification” and will be among the many artifacts that he will present at a special Black History Month exhibit hosted by the Pan African Historical Museum (PAHMUSA) located at Tower Square.
At age 85, Ali said, he “bore witness in truth in what I saw and the experiences I had during the time.” He added he was an “eyewitness” to history.
Ali spent much of his life as an educator and he is continuing his efforts with the exhibit. “Some young people are very curious about what happened,” he added.
Some of the artifacts are from the collection of Carnell Eaton, a civil rights activist who was killed in 1968. Eaton had founded a foundation to explain the philosophy and goals of Malcom X in Roxbury in 1967. Ali called Eaton as “an invisible man in history who gave his life informing people.”
The sign from Eaton’s foundation is among the “unique and original objects” that will be on exhibit.
Speaking of the Black Panther Party, Ali said it was founded by six young men in 1966. “They started as a movement that was misunderstood,” he explained. Ali views it as a defensive reaction against the activities of the Oakland, CA, Police Department. He said the real intent was to protect youth, provide educational services and feed people. The Black Panther newspaper once had a circulation of two million copies, he added.
Ali shows this reporter a photo of George Washington Carver and then a list of his inventions and innovations. He said that Carver, who may be best known for developing uses for the peanuts, is “lost in the educational system.” He believed there should be a mandatory course on Black history and inventors such as Carver, and it should be implemented by school systems.
PAHMUSA’s executive director Sam Bradley, explained to Reminder Publishing the museum, which is on the second floor of Tower Square, will host Ali in a lecture about the exhibit on Feb. 22 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. The exhibit will also be featured as part of “Mass Appeal” on TV22 on Feb. 16.
Admission to the museum is free and it is open from Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.