A performance from pianist and composer Lafayette Gilchrist and words from former Black Panther Paul Coates were part of last month’s celebration at The Peale museum to mark Black Panther History Month and remember former Panther Eddie Conway. 

Conway died on February 13, 2023 at the age of 76. He served nearly 44 years in prison after being framed, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison for the 1970 killing of a Baltimore police officer after a heavily politicized trial in which he was denied proper legal representation. Conway was released in 2014, two years after a Maryland Court of Appeals ruling invalidated many historical verdicts due to faulty jury instructions. The weekend-long event, which began October 3, was part of a larger campaign to exonerate Conway. 

The exhibition featured work surrounding the theme of remembering Conway, mass incarceration, and the Black Panther Party. Pieces from local artists, as well as close friends and Conway’s family members, were hung and displayed along the walls. Works ranged in mediums such as textiles, ceramics, painting, charcoal, collage, photography and so much more.

Poets Black Chakra and Keyma Flight opened the weekend events. Along with Gilchrist, musicians Bashi Rose and Emperor King Bishop also performed. The final day ended with a moving performance by Meres-Sia Gabriel titled “I Was There Too,” a creative non-fiction one-woman play that combines music, visuals, and singing. 

Saturday and Sunday offered teach-ins on the history and impact of COINTELPRO and how to preserve radical movement history with ethical interviewing techniques. Keynote speakers offered reflective insight of Conway’s impact on their lives and the lasting influence of the BPP. 

The three-day event ended with Emory Douglas, known as the Minister of Art in the BPP and the creator of their signature logo, as the final guest speaker.

The event was hosted by Unique Robinson, poet and director of the Maryland Institute College of Art’s MFA in Community Arts program, on behalf of Dominque Demetrea Conway, activist, former director of the Friend of a Friend program, and Conway’s widow.

A Black woman with short natural hair smiles while speaking into a microphone. She wears a red, blue, and green top.
Unique Robinson, curator and co-planner of the event.
A photo taken of someone from behind as they look at art. The person has short, natural textured hair. They wear a cream colored sleeveless top and blue jeans.
A guest looks at the artwork decorating the room at The Peale in downtown Baltimore, Md.
A Black man sits at a drum set. He wears glasses with cool beige colored frames, a multi-colored top, and blue cargo pants.
Musician Bashi Rose.
Literature offerings that read "black Chronicle" along with a book titled "Marshall Law" at The Peale in downtown Baltimore.
Literature at the event.
A Black woman with short sandy brown hair performs in front of a microphone. She wears a black top and gold necklace.
Meres-Sia Gabriel performs her piece “I Was There Too.”
A person at the event looks at literature. They wear a blue baseball cap and blue jacket. They also have a multi-colored cloth bag. They are holding papers and reading what's printed on them.
A guest reads some of the literature offered during the event.
A Black man sits in front of an audience, speaking.
Emory Douglas, artist for the Balck Panther Party, speaks about his artwork over the decades at The Peale in Baltimore, Md.