Guide to the Commemorator Newspaper Collection

Sean Dickerson

African American Museum & Library at Oakland

659 14th Street

Oakland, California 94612

Phone: (510) 637-0198

Fax: (510) 637-0204

Email: aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org

URL: http://www.oaklandlibrary.org/locations/african-american-museum-library-oakland

Guide to the Commemorator Newspaper Collection

Collection number: MS 202

African American Museum & Library at Oakland

Oakland, California

Processed by:: Sean Dickerson
Date Completed:: January 25, 2017
Encoded by:: Sean Dickerson

Descriptive Summary

Title: Commemorator Newspaper Collection

Dates: 1991-2012

Collection number: MS 202

Creator: The Commemoration Committee for the Black Panther Party

Creator: Dickson, Melvin

Collection Size: 2 linear feet (1 oversized box)

Repository: African American Museum & Library at Oakland (Oakland, Calif.)

Oakland, CA 94612

Abstract: The Commemorator newspaper was a newspaper printed in South Berkeley from 1990-2013 by the Commemoration Committee for the Black Panther Party. The newspaper

collection consists of 54 issues of Commemorator newspaper printed from 1990-2012.

Physical location: African American Museum & Library at Oakland (Oakland, Calif.) Oakland, CA 94612

Languages: Languages represented in the collection: English

Access

No access restrictions. Collection is open to the public.

Access Restrictions

Materials are for use in-library only, non-circulating.

Publication Rights

Permission to publish from the Commemorator Newspaper Collection must be obtained from the African American Museum & Library at Oakland.

Preferred Citation

Commemorator newspaper collection, MS 202, African American Museum & Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library. Oakland, California.

Acquisition Information

Newspaper issues were collected and donated to the African American Museum & Library at Oakland by Melvin Dickson on December 30, 2016.

Processing Information

Processed by Sean Dickerson, January 25, 2017. Six issues (vol. 1 no. 1, vol. 1 no. 2, vol. 4 no. 2, vol. 9 no. 1, vol. 11. no. 3, vol. 13 no. 1) were originally donated and formed part of the African American Museum & Library at Oakland Vertical File Collection and are included here for digital access only.

Biography / Administrative History

The Commemorator newspaper was a

newspaper printed in South Berkeley from 1990-2013 by the Commemoration Committee for the Black Panther

Party and focused on promoting the goals of the Black Panther Party as outlined in its Ten Point Program. The

newspaper served to teach the history, goals, and principles of the Black Panther

Party, as well as report community news mostly related to living wage employment, violent crime, and adult literacy. In addition to the

newspaper, programs of the Commemoration Committee for the Black Panther

Party included a Monthly Film Series highlighting demands for education, health care, housing, and jobs, and the Bobby Hutton Literacy Program. The newspaper editorial staff included Melvin Dickson, Clifford Cody, and Leroy Dupree.

Scope and Content of Collection

The Commemorator newspaper collection consists of 54 issues of Commemorator newspaper printed from 1990-2012. The

newspaper consists of reports on the activities of the Commemoration Committee for the Black Panther

Party, profiles and activities of former Black Panther Party members, community news and op-ed articles, letters to the editor, photographs, and events listings.

Arrangement

Series I. Commemorator Newspaper

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

African Americans--California--

Newspapers.

Black Panther Party. Commemoration Committee

Black Panther Party—History--Sources.

Black Panther Party-- Newspapers .

Social justice--California--Newspapers.

Commemorator Newspaper 1990-2012

Physical Description: 54 volumes

Series Scope and Content Summary

Includes 54 issues of Commemorator newspaper published between 1990-2012.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Box OM 28:3

Volume 1, Number 1 [four copies] 1990-11