Written by Derek H. Alderman , University of Tennessee and Joshua F.J. Inwood , Penn State ____ How can maps fight racism and inequality? The work of the Black Panther Party , a 1960s- and 1970s-era Black political group featured in a new movie and a documentary , helps illustrate how cartography – the practice of making and using maps – can illuminate injustice. As these films show, the Black Panthers focused on African American empowerment and community survival , running a diverse array of programming that ranged from free school breakfasts to armed self-defense. Cartography is a less documented aspect of the Panthers’ activism, but the group used maps to reimagine the cities where African Americans lived and struggled . In 1971, the Panthers collected 15,000 signatures on a petition to create new police districts in Berkeley, California – districts that would be governed by local citizen commissions and require officers to live in the neighborhoods they served. The proposal...
