May 07, 2020 - Sale 2534

Sale 2534 - Lot 161

Price Realized: $ 406
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 600 - $ 900
(BLACK PANTHERS.) Revolutionary People's Constitutional Convention. Double-sided poster, 22 1/2 x 17 1/2 inches; moderate foxing and minor wear. Washington, 27 November 1970

Additional Details

The first Revolutionary People's Constitutional Convention was organized by the Black Panthers and held in Philadelphia in early September 1970, bringing together a broad coalition of left-leaning and radical organizations including the Young Lords, Gay Liberation Front, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and more. To follow up on this success, the Panthers announced a ratifying convention to be held in Washington in late November. This poster notes in small type that "no definite location site has been confirmed as of yet." It features uncredited art in the style of Emory Douglas as well as a collage of photographs. On verso is a partial essay titled "Contradictions within the Proletariat of the USA."
Thousands of attendees came to Washington, but with planning in the hands of a weakened D.C. branch of the Panthers, no central location was ever secured, and the conference fizzled, bringing this initiative to a close.