#polynesian panthers

[lizard-reads-the-world]

Dawn Raid (🇳🇿 Aotearoa New Zealand)

[image 1: book cover, showing a smiling brown girl with long straight black hair, surround by bubbles with items: a Polynesian Panthers protest, a single-story house, go-go boots, and milk bottles; image 2: book cover, US version, showing a preteen brown girl walking among protesters in 70s fashion carrying signs; image 3: a map showing Aotearoa New Zealand, southeast of Australia; image 4: a photo from 1971 showing Polynesian Panthers carrying signs like "Power to the Oppressed"]

Dawn Raid

Author: Pauline Vaeluaga Smith

World challenge read for 🇳🇿 Aotearoa New Zealand

This middle-grade book follows a young part-Samoan girl in New Zealand as she learns about and meets the Polynesian Panthers, a group inspired by the US Black Panthers who fought discrimination against Islanders. The Dawn Raids were carried out by NZ police, racially targeting Pacific Islanders for being overstayers, even when they weren't. I love the Panthers' effective counter tactic of "raiding" politicians by making noise and light outside their houses in the early AM before speeding away.

The book is part of a New Zealand history series, so much of it is spent depicting life in the 70s for young readers, like go-go boots, milk run jobs, and the opening of New Zealand's first McDonalds. But Sofia also learns about the Panthers and experiences firsthand a terrifying raid unfairly targeting her family. There are cute illustrations throughout the book.

I didn't learn much more about the Panthers than I had already read in a few articles, which was disappointing, but this is obviously an "intro" book for young readers. The author also notes that the kids here are given far more leniency than they would have ever had in a traditionally strict Samoan family. Still, this was an entertaining quick read with immersion into 1970s Aotearoa, recommended especially if you have never heard of the Dawn Raids/Polynesian Panthers and want an easy intro!

★ ★ ★ 3.5 stars

Genres: #middle grade #historical

Other reps: #immigrant

[redplaygrounds]

the mood today is: furious that NZ doesn’t teach about the Dawn Raids in schools

[wocinsolidarity]

From Oakland To Auckland: Emory Douglas and The Polynesian Panthers

by Jean Melesaine, June 2013

When the Oakland Black Panther Party recruited Emory Douglas as their Minister of Culture, one thing that no one knew, is how his image of the Black Panther would start movements across the world in the city of Auckland with a group of Polynesians.

Lana Lopesi is a Samoan artist, based out of Auckland, New Zealand. She's currently preparing for her show called 'Seize the Time' based on the Pacific New Zealand history of the 50s to the 80s. Working very closely with the Polynesian Panthers she is attempting to educate Pacific youth about the history as a way of empowerment and breaking the cycles of oppression Pacific people face.

In her project guide she quotes a man from the place I call home, "We want education that teaches us the true history and our role in the present day society". Huey P. Newton founder of the Black Panther Party that rose in Oakland neighborhoods to protect people initially from police brutality but also much more.

Long ago, when I was a Samoan kid growing up in different hoods of the Bay with the "un-normal normal" things Samoan children go through, theres was little atraction to political jargon, big words and assumingly angry ass people who I never saw in my hood chanting the same thing over and over again. What really focused my a.d.d and educated me more than anything was what Lana writes, "the accessibility and presence of political proproganda and modern day 'artavistas', this can be found in Emory Douglas' posters and visual manifestation of the Black Panther Party, as well as the work from Chicano movement in the U.S" aka visual arts.

Photographs from the 70s' of Polynesian Panthers brothers marching, you can see a familiar image well known to Oakland, the black panther that was created by Emory Douglas. It is with these images, these artists that movements are connected in subtleties of harsh realies through war, police brutality, poverty, etc.

It is a mission of mine trying to find creative ways to educate without boring lectures to the younger Pasifika generation in the states who are already induced to instagram, facebook and tv. Like Emory Douglas, Lana Lopesi is an artist that carries a history in every stencil and every poster she creates. Her images, and stencils will be seen in Oakland in the coming months into summer and in collaboration with another Oakland based artist Lexx Valdez, her Polynesian Panther design will be wheatpasted in Auckand, the same area where the Polynesian Panthers organized.

Lana says, "Visual art has the ability to mobilise, empower and educate. In our media saturated environment and highly restrictive public areas it is often very hard to do so. So seeing someone like Emory Douglas whose images have literally affected people across the globe is a powerful influence on a young samoan female artist. If I am able to accomplish half of what Emory has in my career, I'll be successful."

There is a connection to Oakland and Auckland that is vital between the Pasifika communities on either end of the ocean. It is the visual art of artists like Lana and Emory that will keep the spirit of a history alive for the Black Panthers and The Polynesian Panthers.

[womenpacific]

I want this poster for my room btw, not my picture.  taken from this article: http://dev.siliconvalleydebug.org/articles/2013/06/04/oakland-auckland-emory-douglas-and-polynesian-panthers

[womenpacific]

When the Oakland Black Panther Party recruited Emory Douglas as their Minister of Culture, one thing that no one knew, is how his image of the Black Panther would start movements across the world in the city of Auckland with a group of Polynesians.

Jean Melesaine writing about our history of resistance as Pacific Islanders 

[supalele]

[ultraleftist]

Page from the 'Legal Aid' pamphlet distributed by the Polynesian Panther Party in Auckland.

[rasdivine]