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The New Haven Black Panther trials still resonate today

May 1970, Supporters march with flags during protest in favor of Black Panther defendants on trial for murder, New Haven, Connecticut.
Barton Silverman / New York Times Co.
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May 1970, Supporters march with flags during protest in favor of Black Panther defendants on trial for murder, New Haven, Connecticut.

In May 1969, Black Panther Alex Rackley was murdered by fellow revolutionaries in Connecticut.

Rackley’s murder eventually led to what some call “one of the most significant political trials of the century.” In 1970, the New Haven Black Panther trials became the focus of national attention — and what happened then reverberates loudly into the present.

This hour, we’ll unpack everything from how the federal government targeted Black Panther Party leaders to the legacy of the trials in the Elm City.

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Frankie Graziano’s career in broadcast journalism continues to evolve.
Meg Dalton is the deputy director of storytelling for Connecticut Public. She previously worked for The Takeaway from WNYC, in collaboration with GBH and PRX, and Mobituaries with Mo Rocca. She's also reported and edited for the Columbia Journalism Review, PBS NewsHour, Slate, MediaShift, Hearst Connecticut newspapers, and more. Her audio work has appeared on ‎WNYC, WSHU, Marketplace, WBAI, and NPR. She earned her master's degree from Columbia Journalism School in 2017, where she specialized in audio storytelling and narrative writing, and has taught audio storytelling at Columbia Journalism School, UnionDocs, and public libraries.