I’ve just come back from viewing the Stephen Shames photography exhibition currently at the University of Washington’s Odegaard Library. It’s called The Black Panthers: Making Sense of History, and it runs until May 31, 2008. (building hours)

As a photographer, Shames had unique access to the Black Panther Party. This exhibition contains public images of party members at street demonstrations and protests throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, and it also has images of private party meetings and intimate portraits of leaders like Huey P. Newton.

This exhibition coincides with the 40th anniversary of the Black Student Union’s May 1968 takeover of President Odegaard’s office, an action which served as a catalyst for increasing diversity and opening doors of opportunity for people of color at UW.

There are several related activities going on, including a film series on Monday afternoons (PDF list), a walk-through presentation with Stephen Shames (Friday, April 25 at 4pm), and a panel discussion at the Henry Auditorium, featuring Aaron Dixon, co-founder of the Black Panther Party’s Seattle Chapter; Seattle City Councilmember Larry Gossett, co-founder of the University of Washington Black Student Union; James Gregory, director of the Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project; and Janet Jones, coordinator of the Seattle Black Panther Party History and Memory Project. This panel program will take place on Thursday, April 24 at 7pm. Free tickets are available at the Henry admissions desk beginning today. Seating is limited, so get your tickets soon!

To see more Stephen Shames photos, check out his 2006 book, The Black Panthers.