Sale 2471 - Printed & Manuscript African Americana, March 29, 2018

130 c   (BLACK PANTHERS.) Free the Soledad Brothers. Poster, 22 1 / 2 x 17 1 / 2 inches; minimal wear and toning. Berkeley, CA: Soledad Brothers Defense Committee, [1970-71] [2,500/3,500] On 13 January 1970, three African-American inmates at Soledad Prison were shot by a prison guard for engaging in a fist-fight. The ensuing investigation exonerated the guard; within an hour, another white prison guard was killed in retaliation. Prisoners George Jackson, Fleeta Drumgo and John Clutchette were charged with the murder. Their defense quickly became a popular cause in activist circles; this poster featured a quote from Ho Chi Minh’s prison diary. Jackson was killed in a breakout attempt on 21 August 1971, shortly before his trial; he left his modest estate to the Black Panther Party. Drumgo and Clutchette were acquitted the following year. We trace only one other copy of this poster at auction, at a Swann sale, 10 March 2011, lot 200.