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For more information contact mark.a.kinders@uwrf.edu or brenda.k.bredahl@uwrf.edu.

'Framing the Black Panthers' Author to Visit UWRF

FEB. 1, 2008--The University of Wisconsin-River Falls Black Student Union is hosting an event Feb. 12 features a book signing and lecture by author Jane Rhodes in celebration of Black History Month in February.

"Framing the Black Panthers: The Spectacular Rise of a Black Power Icon" begins with a book signing by Rhodes in the St. Croix Room of the University Center at 2:30 p.m. Rhodes' book, "Framing the Black Panthers," will be on sale in the Falcon Shop during the reception. Rhodes' lecture begins at 3:30 p.m. in the Kinnickinnic Theater of the University Center.

Rhodes is dean for the Study of Race and Ethnicity and chair of the American studies department at Macalester College in St. Paul. She also is the author of " Mary Ann Shadd Cary: The Black Press and Protest in the Nineteenth Century."

In her book, "Framing the Black Panthers" (2007), cultural historian Rhodes examines the extraordinary staying power of the Panthers in the American imagination by probing their relationship to the media. Rhodes argues that once the media and pop culture latched onto the small, militant group, the Panthers become adept at exploiting and manipulating this coverage--through pamphlets, buttons, poster, ubiquitous press appearances, and photo opportunities--pioneering a sophisticated version of mass media activism.

Paradoxically, the news media participated in the government campaign to eradicate the Panthers while simultaneously elevating them to a celebrity status that remains long after their demise. Lucidly written and featuring many never-before-published photographs, her book is a breakthrough reconsideration of a fascinating phenomenon.

The event is cosponsored by the BSU, the UWRF journalism department and the UWRF ethnic studies program. For more information contact Njia Lawrence-Porter at njia.lawrence-porter@uwrf.edu or call 715-425-3531.

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