Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
With each glimmering piece he creates, artist Akinsanya Kambon brings suppressed histories of both colonization and liberation to life. His ceramic works depict struggle and survival across the African diaspora, and stepping into his studio is a spiritual experience, as Laura Flanders recently discovered. Kambon was a member of the Sacramento chapter of the Black Panther Party where he worked on the layout and illustration of the party’s famous paper and became lieutenant for culture, illustrating among other things the party’s ten point plan and works for young people. In 2023, he won the prestigious Mohn Award — the top prize given by the Hammer Museum for his participation in their biennial “Made in LA” show, titled Acts of Living. His one-man show opened in Beverly Hills at Marc Selwyn Fine Art in April 2025. An exhibition of his work will open at the New York Sculpture Center in May 2026. In this unique conversation, Flanders asks Kambon about his own survival stories, including his polio diagnosis, getting drafted into the Vietnam War, and his year on death row. Kambon was arrested in connection with the killing of a police officer and was later acquitted from that high-profile Oak Park Four case. Join Flanders and Kambon as they discuss how art keeps spirits alive, and catch Flanders’ commentary on today’s fight to control our nation’s stories.
“Art educates the masses of people. Not Black or white or Asian, this educates the masses of young people to our struggle, to how long they're struggling and how it's connected.” - Akinsanya Kambon
“I thought of myself as an artist even when I was a child, because art was therapy for me . . . I used to always seem like I would always take the side of the underdog.” - Akinsanya Kambon
GUEST:
Akinsanya Kambon: Artist, Former Marine, Black Panther & Art Professor
Stay informed and engaged! Don't miss out on our captivating weekly episodes that dive deep into the heart of our economy, culture, and politics. SUBSCRIBE HERE youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lg?sub_confirmation=1
🎧 PODCAST: Listen to this week's episode on major podcast platforms: lauraflanders.simplecast.com/episodes/vessels-of-revolution-akinsanya-kambon-on-art-black-panther-legacy-liberation-episode Podcast subscribers also receive our full, uncut interviews: lauraflanders.simplecast.com/episodes/vessels-of-revolution-akinsanya-kambon-on-art-black-panther-legacy-liberation-uncut-conversation
✏️SHOW NOTES: Visit our Patreon for Show Notes and learn more about this week's episode: patreon.com/posts/138213703
Laura Flanders & Friends is non-commercial independent media that relies on the contributions of viewers and listeners.
Follow the show and Laura Flanders on Bluesky!
https://bsky.app/profile/lauraflanders.org
https://bsky.app/profile/gritlaura.bsky.social
DONATE TODAY at lauraflanders.org/donate or consider becoming a PATREON partner at patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends
🔔Subscribe to get weekly episodes that prompt you to think critically about the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to hit the 'Like' button and share it with your network.
📩Newsletter: For more in-depth analysis, including uncut interviews and commentaries, subscribe to our free newsletter at lauraflanders.org.
CREDITS:
Executive Producer: Laura Flanders
Supervising Producer: Sabrina Artel
Senior Producer: Jeremiah Cothren
Senior Consulting Producer: Rory O’Connor
Senior Video Editor: David Neumann
Video Editor: Veronica Delgado
Audio Director: Jeannie Hopper
Development Director: Sarah Miller
Communications Director: Janet Hernandez
Photo of Akinsanya Kambon by Antonio Gilbreath.
0:00 - Raku & Vessels of History
4:06 - Akinsanya Kambon’s Stories of Survival
10:44 - Art as Therapy and Resistance
14:32 - The Black Panther Coloring Book
18:19 - Ancestral Spirits & Keeping History Alive
With each glimmering piece he creates, artist Akinsanya Kambon brings suppressed histories of both colonization and liberation to life. His ceramic works depict struggle and survival across the African diaspora, and stepping into his studio is a spiritual experience, as Laura Flanders recently discovered. Kambon was a member of the Sacramento chapter of the Black Panther Party where he worked on the layout and illustration of the party’s famous paper and became lieutenant for culture, illustrating among other things the party’s ten point plan and works for young people. In 2023, he won the prestigious Mohn Award — the top prize given by the Hammer Museum for his participation in their biennial “Made in LA” show, titled Acts of Living. His one-man show opened in Beverly Hills at Marc Selwyn Fine Art in April 2025. An exhibition of his work will open at the New York Sculpture Center in May 2026. In this unique conversation, Flanders asks Kambon about his own survival stories, including his polio diagnosis, getting drafted into the Vietnam War, and his year on death row. Kambon was arrested in connection with the killing of a police officer and was later acquitted from that high-profile Oak Park Four case. Join Flanders and Kambon as they discuss how art keeps spirits alive, and catch Flanders’ commentary on today’s fight to control our nation’s stories.
“Art educates the masses of people. Not Black or white or Asian, this educates the masses of young people to our struggle, to how long they're struggling and how it's connected.” - Akinsanya Kambon
“I thought of myself as an artist even when I was a child, because art was therapy for me . . . I used to always seem like I would always take the side of the underdog.” - Akinsanya Kambon
GUEST:
Akinsanya Kambon: Artist, Former Marine, Black Panther & Art Professor
Stay informed and engaged! Don't miss out on our captivating weekly episodes that dive deep into the heart of our economy, culture, and politics. SUBSCRIBE HERE youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lg?sub_confirmation=1
🎧 PODCAST: Listen to this week's episode on major podcast platforms: lauraflanders.simplecast.com/episodes/vessels-of-revolution-akinsanya-kambon-on-art-black-panther-legacy-liberation-episode Podcast subscribers also receive our full, uncut interviews: lauraflanders.simplecast.com/episodes/vessels-of-revolution-akinsanya-kambon-on-art-black-panther-legacy-liberation-uncut-conversation
✏️SHOW NOTES: Visit our Patreon for Show Notes and learn more about this week's episode: patreon.com/posts/138213703
Laura Flanders & Friends is non-commercial independent media that relies on the contributions of viewers and listeners.
Follow the show and Laura Flanders on Bluesky!
https://bsky.app/profile/lauraflanders.org
https://bsky.app/profile/gritlaura.bsky.social
DONATE TODAY at lauraflanders.org/donate or consider becoming a PATREON partner at patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends
🔔Subscribe to get weekly episodes that prompt you to think critically about the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to hit the 'Like' button and share it with your network.
📩Newsletter: For more in-depth analysis, including uncut interviews and commentaries, subscribe to our free newsletter at lauraflanders.org.
CREDITS:
Executive Producer: Laura Flanders
Supervising Producer: Sabrina Artel
Senior Producer: Jeremiah Cothren
Senior Consulting Producer: Rory O’Connor
Senior Video Editor: David Neumann
Video Editor: Veronica Delgado
Audio Director: Jeannie Hopper
Development Director: Sarah Miller
Communications Director: Janet Hernandez
Photo of Akinsanya Kambon by Antonio Gilbreath.
0:00 - Raku & Vessels of History
4:06 - Akinsanya Kambon’s Stories of Survival
10:44 - Art as Therapy and Resistance
14:32 - The Black Panther Coloring Book
18:19 - Ancestral Spirits & Keeping History Alive
