Die Standing

His image-holding a rifle on the steps of the Washington state capitol building, flanked by Black men gripping guns as law enforcement officers and others stand by-is one of the most iconic photographs from the Black Power movement during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Elmer Dixon, who at age 17 co-founded the Seattle Chapter of the Black Panther Party, was protesting gun control laws during an era when the Panthers' top mission was to provide armed patrols to protect Black people from beatings and killings by police.

Now, half a century later, after George Floyd's killing under a police officer's knee awakened America and the world to an urgent quest to stop police brutality, dismantle institutional racism, and ensure equality and justice for all, Dixon's mission continues.

In boardrooms and training facilities across the US and globe, Dixon parlays his revolutionary roots into a results-driven curriculum for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for companies, organizations, and universities.

Over three decades, Dixon's company has trained more than 600,000 people at 200 companies-including Microsoft, United Airlines, and PepsiCo-that have hired Executive Diversity Services.

He is a popular guest lecturer in Europe, including France, Finland, Spain, Italy, and Ireland, where he speaks on many topics pertaining to diversity and inclusion, including, "The Challenge of Policing in Diverse Communities." After delivering a TEDx Talk at University of Tulsa, he intends to speak at their organizations in Brazil, New Zealand, Asia, Australia, Africa, and Europe.

Die Standing: From Black Panther Party Leader to Global Diversity Advisor is Elmer Dixon's life story that can help instruct today's social justice activists on how to organize the community based on the successful strategies of the Black Panther Party to achieve change in a continued climate of police brutality, institutional racism, and vast socioeconomic discrepancies for Black and Brown people.  Dixon showcases the Panther's 10-Point Platform and Program and how it remains relevant, applicable, and effective for change in 2023 and beyond.

With a foreword by former Black Panther Party Chairman Bobby Seale, this book sets the record straight about the altruistic mission of the Black Panther Party, whose image has been maligned in media, movies, and minds as angry, gun-toting, misogynistic thugs.

On the contrary, the Panthers started a free breakfast program for children... distributed free groceries to families... opened schools... founded health clinics... and provided patrols to protect people from police abuse. They did what they felt the government was not doing for Black people. And now, their 10-point plan can serve as a blueprint for the social justice movement today.

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