Afro-American Association facts for kids
The Afro-American Association (AAA) was an important group started in 1962. It began as a study group where people learned about African and African American history. Later, the AAA hosted speakers, meetings, and other activities. A historian named Donna Murch called it a "foundational institution" for the Black Power movement.
How the AAA Started
In 1962, some students at UC Berkeley formed a reading group. They were graduate and law students. Their goal was to teach themselves and their community about African and African American history. The main founders were Donald Warden, Donald Hopkins, Otho Green, and Henry Ramsey.
Susan D. Anderson, a museum expert, said they read books by Black writers that the university didn't teach. They studied authors like Ralph Ellison and W.E.B. DuBois. They also talked about important global events. These included apartheid in South Africa and independence movements in Africa. They also discussed the history of racism in America.
The AAA also had groups in other cities and universities. Maulana Karenga led the Los Angeles chapter. Donald Warden visited Portland in 1963 and 1964. He helped start an AAA chapter there. In the mid-1960s, students at Duke University in North Carolina formed a chapter. At Northeastern University in Massachusetts in 1966, students started an AAA chapter. They wanted to support African American students and raise political awareness. Students at the University of Alabama started an Afro-American Association in 1968. This group later became their Black Student Union.
The AAA's Influence
Donald Warden guided Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. They were members of the Afro-American Association. In 1966, they went on to co-found the Black Panther Party. Another AAA member, Kenny Freeman, helped create the party's Ten-Point Program.
The parents of Kamala Harris were also part of the study group. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, and father, Donald J. Harris, were involved.
Many members of the AAA became important leaders. These included Ron Dellums, who became a congressman and mayor of Oakland. Judge Thelton Henderson was also a member. Cedric Robinson became a professor and scholar of Black Studies. Henry Ramsey became a judge and a member of the Berkeley City Council. He also became the dean of the Howard University School of Law.
