Fresno's Bernard Stringer, the First Black Studies graduate in the United States of America

Donald Warden, aka Attorney Khalid Abdullah Tariq Al Mansour, head of the Afro-American Association that is responsible for Black radical consciousness in the Bay Area during the 1960s.
The AAA gave birth to the Black Panther Party, the Black Arts Movement, including Kwanza (fyi, Ron Karenga was the Los Angeles representative of the AAA) and Black Studies.


 John H. Doyle, a bodyguard of Dr. Nathan Hare at SFSU. Doyle was a BAM baby 1.0, with his Grassroots Theatre Company in San Francisco. RIP!

 Dr. Nathan Hare's radicalism cost him Jobs at Howard University and San Francisco State University

 Maulana Ron Karenga, socalled founder of Kwanza. He was a member of Oakland's AAA and according to AAA member Ed Howard, Karenga got his Kwanza idea from the AAA.



The Black Panther Party and BAM panel at UC Merced: Emory Douglas, Billy X. Jennings, Mama C and Tarika Lewis

At the recent Black Arts Movement Conference at University of California, Merced (Feb 28 thru March 2, 2014), the Black Studies and BAM panel, it was pointed out the Fresno native Bernard Stringer was the first graduate of the Black Studies program at San Francisco State University. He was a BSU leader before and during the Black and Third World Strike, 1968, the longest student strike in US academic history. Bernard served as Dr. Nathan Hare's bodyguard during the time students were demanding Hare be appointed Chairman of the first such program on a major university campus.

As per the community colleges, Oakland's Merritt College had the earliest known Black Studies Program program. Merritt College is where much of the Bay Area's 60s radical tradition was established, inspired by the Pullman Porters Union, headed by C. L. Dellums, uncle of Ron Dellums. Merritt was the one meeting place of the Afro-American Association, headed by Donald Warden, aka Khalid Abdullah Tariq Al Mansur. The AAA campus work of raising Black consciousness, gave birth to such radicals as Huey P. Newton, Bobby Seale, Ernie Allen, Richard Throne, Ann Williams, Maurice Dawson, Kenny and Carol Freeman, Marvin X, et al. It was the birthplace of that radical RAM publication, SoulBook, edited by Ken Freeman. Merritt gave birth to two Black Panther Organizations, first, the Black Panther Party of Northern California and later the Newton/Seale Black Panther Party of Self Defense.

Bernard Stringer was also associated with the Black Panther Party, along with his woman and later wife, JoAnn Mitchell.

When Marvin X was fighting to teach at Fresno State University, 1969, Bernard served as his bodyguard. In 1972, Bernard joined Marvin X's Black Educational Theatre in Fresno and San Francisco Bernard  performed in Marvin's  musical version of  Flowers for the Trashman, Take Care of Business, music by Sun Ra.

As per the BAM tour, Bernard Stringer has agreed to represent the Atlanta GA region.