The Murder of Fred Hampton (1971): Documentary Film screening and Q&A With Congressman Bobby Rush

The film The Murder of Fred Hampton (1971), directed by Howard Alk, documents the assassination of the Black Panther leader Fred Hampton at the hands of the Chicago Police Department in 1969. Part documentary of the Chicago Black Panther Party, part investigation into Hampton’s untimely murder, the film offers a rare historical portrait of the struggle for Black liberation.

The Brooklyn Public Library, Bard Prison Initiative, and Bard Microcollege will be hosting a screening of The Murder of Fred Hampton followed by a conversation with former Illinois Panther Chairman and 30 year congressman Bobby Rush on the legacy of the Panther Party, the politics of Mass Incarceration, and his experience teaching for the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI). Moderated by BPI Associate Dean Delia Mellis. Prior to his 30 years in Congress, Rush was a leader of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party when Fred Hampton was murdered. He is now a Distinguished Fellow at BPI. Max Kenner, BPI founder and Executive Director, will give an introduction to the film.  

 

There will be a reception for this event at 5:30pm, followed by the film screening at 6:00pm. 

 

Presented by the Brooklyn Public Library and the Bard Prison Initiative

Bobby Rush is an American politician, activist, pastor, and former U.S. Representative for Illinois's 1st congressional district, serving in Congress for more than two decades. Rush co-founded the Illinois chapter of the Black Panthers. During this time, Rush formed the Free Medical Clinic in Chicago. Rush was first elected to Congress in 1992. Congressman Rush retired in 2022 and that year joined BPI as a Distinguished Fellow. In this role, Congressman Rush has been consulting with BPI on policy initiatives and this fall is co-teaching a course at Eastern Correctional Facility with BPI Associate Dean, Delia Mellis entitled Rural Roots and City Branches: Themes in Twentieth-Century Black Political Thought.

Delia Mellis is Associate Dean of the Bard Prison Initiative. A historian of race and gender in the United States, she has been a member of the BPI faculty since 2008 and joined its administration in 2011. An Associate of Bard’s Institute for Writing and Thinking, Delia holds a Ph.D. in United States History from the CUNY Graduate Center and a B.A. from Bard College. Her recent publications include a chapter in the edited volume Reconsidering Roots: Race, Politics, and Memory (University of Georgia Press, 2017).

Max Kenner is the founder and executive director of the Bard Prison Initiative. A leading advocate for the restoration of college-in-prison, Kenner is also co-founder of the Consortium for the Liberal Arts in Prison, and Bard Microcollege, which establishes rigorous, tuition-free college opportunity within urban areas in partnership with community-based Institutions. At Bard College, Kenner serves as Vice President for Institutional Initiatives and Advisor to the President on Public Policy & College Affairs. He has served on Governor Andrew Cuomo’s New York State Council on Community Re-Entry and Reintegration since its inception. He holds a B.A. in Historical Studies from Bard College.