growing up in a white suburb, i was indoctrinated to believe that the black panthers were a shamefully violent part of american history — something of a black analogue to the kkk — all because they dared to counteract centuries of atrocities done to people who shared their skin color. the mainstream suppression and manipulation of the histories of nonwhite people is terrifyingly effective and can only be undone if we educate ourselves on the stories of the people this country has violently silenced. we’re 50 years past the height of the panthers’ prominence, and it feels as though so little has changed in the fight for justice. we must break the cycle. black panthers // agnès varda. available for free viewing online.