Health & Fitness
Looking Forward from the 45th Anniversary of the Catonsville Nine Actions
A panel with two members of the original Catonsville Nine engages an audience about the historical significance of the actions of the Nine and critiques social protest, civic duty and citizenship.
In May of 1968, nine individuals shook the conscience of the nation as they burned U.S. Selective Service records with homemade napalm on the grounds of the Catonsville, Maryland Knights of Columbus hall.
The fire they started erupted into an infamous trial where the nine were defended by William Kuntsler. The news spread throughout the country, influencing other similar dynamic actions in every major U.S. city.
This UMBC Social Sciences Forum, "Looking Forward from The 45th Anniversary of the Catonsville Nine Actions," looks into the impact of the actions of the Catonsville Nine on activism in the United States.
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Join the community May 10, for an evening that features a panel discussion with two of the original members of the Nine, Thomas and Margarita Melville; Shawn Francis Peters, author of The Catonsville Nine (2012, Oxford University Press); and Karin Aguilar-San Juan, who recently returned from Vietnam to cover the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Peace Accords.
Additionally, the forum will host a screening of the film Hit and Stay, by local filmmaker and UMBC Alum Joe Tropea, a new documentary that focuses on the innovative tactics used by activists in the late 1960s - including the Catonsville Nine.
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In the film, Tropea and his co-director examine how protesters escalated the nature of dissent, and the way in which a new attitude emerged. Protestors acted by burning paper or covering government property in blood and then waited for the police to arrest them. Yes, they challenged the law, but they also used their arrest and trial as opportunities to continue to challenge the public.
UMBC will also welcome special guests from the community – allies and other activists who were close to the events of May 1968.
"Looking Forward from The 45th Anniversary of the Catonsville Nine Actions" takes place Friday, May 10, beginning at 4 p.m. in UMBC's Performing Arts and Humanities Building Theatre. A free, afternoon reception for the event will take place in the Performing Arts and Humanities Building Lobby at 2:30 p.m.
Learn more about this event at UMBC's Arts and Culture Calendar.