Preserving a Revolutionary Legacy: Naudia Miller on The Pop-Up!
Cultural worker Naudia Miller recently joined The Pop-Up! to share exciting developments regarding the Seattle Black Panther Party Interpretive Center and to weigh in on the cultural and technological shifts impacting the Black community today.
Known to many as "Nas," Miller brought a pointed yet hopeful perspective to the table, discussing everything from preserving historical landmarks to the complex role of artificial intelligence.
Honoring the Black Panther Party
A major highlight of the discussion was the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods’ Landmarks Preservation Board’s recent unanimous vote to designate "The People's Wall" in the city’s Central District as an official landmark. Miller noted the importance of this timing.
"It feels like a really important time to be acknowledging the revolutionary work of the Black Panthers with everything that's going on in the world,” she said.
The Interpretive Center, to which Miller is the program manager, is a vision brought to life by former comrades of the Seattle chapter, including co-founders Elmer and Aaron Dixon. Miller explained the choice of an interpretive center over a museum.
“Traditional museums don't actually have belongings that are theirs... everything in the Interpretive Center is going to be memorabilia, artifacts from the Panthers, former Panthers, and their networks,” she said.
One of the center's unique initiatives is the Panther Reading Circle, which honors the requirement that Panthers read for two hours daily from a specific list. Miller hopes these texts will "inspire [young people] to do something radical.”
Critical Perspectives on Modern Challenges
Miller didn't shy away from complex topics like AI and its intersection with capitalism. Expressing a cautious view, she reflected on why tools like ChatGPT have become so popular.
"I'm overwhelmed. I'm overworked. And if we really get to the root of the issue, why are we all so exhausted? It's because we're running this rat race of capitalism,” she said. She also voiced concerns about the environmental impact of data centers, hoping that "we either put some sort of container around it" to prevent it from "destroying our planet.”
Looking Toward Juneteenth and Beyond
With Juneteenth around the corner, Miller defined the purpose of the holiday as "freedom, family time, and fun.” However, she remained critical of federal recognition being used as a "distraction" or a way for the government to "placate us.”
Miller's work continues through her stewardship of the cooperatively owned Black & Tan Hall and the ongoing expansion of the Legacy Group, which recently acquired the Dixon family home as a satellite location.
The Seattle Black Panther Party Interpretive Center is now open to the public Fridays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Learn more at seattleblackpantherpartyinterpretivecenter.org
Tune in to The Pop-Up! weekdays live at 9 p.m. on all Converge streaming platforms.
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