presumably familiar.

An allusion is a reference, typically brief, to a person, place, thing, event, or other literary work with which the reader is presumably familiar. Throughout her “To My People,” speech Assata Shakur alludes to several people, places and events. To better understand her speech, you will need to understand the allusions or references that she makes inside of the speech.

Briefly research each person, place or event below. For each allusion, write 3-5 complete sentences explaining who the person is or was/what the event was/what the place is. You must explain in your own words. You must also cite your sources (where you found the information). You may only use credible sources (i.e journal articles, books, reputable newspaper articles or websites, encyclopedias, etc.). You may not use Wikipedia as a source.  

  1. Black Liberation Army 
  2. Amerika
  3. Nixon and the Watergate scandal
  4. Attica Prison Riot
  5. Medgar Evars
  6. Nat Turner
  7. James Chaney
  8. Rita Lloyd
  9. Clifford Glover
  10. New York Panther 21 Trial (Case)
  11. Fred Hampton
  12. Use this linkto learn more about San Quentin and Sing Sing and explain, in your own words, what the two are.

Answer preview

The Black Liberation Army (BLA) was a black Nationalist-Marxist organization. It predominantly consisted of former Black Panther Party (BPP) members (Wilderson III, 2010). BLA operated between 1970 and 1981 after the collapse of BPP (Wilderson III, 2010). The organization was revered for its violent acts, such as bombings and robberies. These activities were informed by BLA’s ideology that an armed front was needed to fully liberate African Americans (Wilderson III, 2010). The organization’s demise started around 1981 after the Brinks robbery. This robbery involved several senior members of the organization, leading to the death of two law enforcement officers and a guard.

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