On May 1st, 1970, the eyes of the nation were on the Elm City. Students and others from around the country had gathered to protest the murder trial of Black Panther Party leaders Bobby Seale and Ericka Huggins.

This hour, we take a look back at May Day in New Haven, 50 years ago this year. We talk with Huggins and hear from a former Baltimore mayor who was one of the Yale students who helped keep protests peaceful.

Do you remember May Day and New Haven’s Black Panther Trials?

GUESTS:

• Paul Bass - Editor of the New Haven Independent, and co-author of Murder in the Model City : the Black Panthers, Yale, and the Redemption of a Killer, with coauthor Douglas Rae
• Ericka Huggins - Ericka Huggins is an educator, human rights advocate and poet. She was a member of the Black Panther Party from 1967-1982
• Kurt Schmoke - Former Mayor of Baltimore and President of University Baltimore. He was a member of Yale Class of 1971

To learn more about this period, check out the podcast “Revolution on Trial” hosted by Mercy Quaye, a co-production of Artspace and The Narrative Project. It explores the history of the New Haven Black Panthers, and is available on most podcast apps. Learn more here.

Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired May 15, 2020.

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