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Origin and political program

Impact and repression.

What was the Black Panther Party?

Who started the black panther party, who were notable members of the black panther party, what was the fbi’s response to the black panther party.

Black Panther Party

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The Black Panther Party was an African American revolutionary organization that was formed in 1966 and reached its heyday a few years later. Its initial purpose was to patrol Black neighborhoods to protect residents from police brutality . It later evolved into a Marxist group that called for, among other things, the arming of all African Americans, the release of all Black prisoners, and the payment of compensation to African Americans for centuries of exploitation. It was also notable for its various social programs, such as free breakfasts for children, and medical clinics.

Students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton founded the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense in Oakland, California, in 1966; the group later shortened its name to the Black Panther Party. The two men adopted Malcolm X ’s slogan “Freedom by any means necessary.” The Black Panthers also drew inspiration from Stokely Carmichael , a Black nationalist leader. He coined the phrase “Black Power,” which became the group’s rallying cry, and in 1965 he founded a political party that had a black panther as its emblem. The Black Panthers later adopted that image.

Why is the Black Panther Party important?

The Black Panthers’ campaign for African American equality had a lasting impact on Black empowerment, and its influence continues to be felt in such current social movements as Black Lives Matter . In addition, the group inspired other minority groups worldwide to pursue their own causes.

In addition to the founders, Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton , notable Black Panthers included Eldridge Cleaver , who favored a more militant approach, and Elaine Brown, the party’s first and only female chairman. Angela Davis , a philosophy lecturer, was closely associated with the group, and she became a cause célèbre for the radical left after being accused of abetting a failed prisoner escape. Also notable was Fred Hampton , whose death during a police raid brought increased scrutiny to the FBI ’s efforts to end the party. Learn more.

The FBI viewed the Black Panther Party as an enemy of the U.S. government and sought to dismantle the party. To this end, its counterintelligence program ( COINTELPRO ) used agent provocateurs, sabotage, misinformation, and lethal force. The FBI’s escalating campaign against the Black Panthers culminated in December 1969. That month a police raid in Chicago resulted in the deaths of local Black Panther leader Fred Hampton and a fellow Panther, Mark Clark. Several days later there was a five-hour police shoot-out at the party’s Southern California headquarters. The measures employed by the FBI were so extreme that the director of the agency later publicly apologized for “wrongful uses of power.”

Black Panther Party , African American revolutionary party, founded in 1966 in Oakland , California, by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale . The party’s original purpose was to patrol African American neighborhoods to protect residents from acts of police brutality. The Panthers eventually developed into a Marxist revolutionary group that called for the arming of all African Americans , the exemption of African Americans from the draft and from all sanctions of so-called white America, the release of all African Americans from jail, and the payment of compensation to African Americans for centuries of exploitation by white Americans. At its peak in the late 1960s, Panther membership exceeded 2,000, and the organization operated chapters in several major American cities.

Despite passage of the 1960s civil rights legislation that followed the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954), African Americans living in cities throughout North America continued to suffer economic and social inequality. Poverty and reduced public services characterized these urban centres, where residents were subject to poor living conditions, joblessness, chronic health problems, violence, and limited means to change their circumstances. Such conditions contributed to urban uprisings in the 1960s (such as those in the Watts district of Los Angeles in 1965 , among others) and to the increased use of police violence as a measure to impose order on cities throughout North America.

It was in this context , and in the wake of the assassination of Malcolm X in 1965, that Merritt Junior College students Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale founded the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense on October 15, 1966, in West Oakland (officially “Western Oakland,” a district of the city of Oakland), California. Shortening its name to the Black Panther Party, the organization immediately sought to set itself apart from African American cultural nationalist organizations, such as the Universal Negro Improvement Association and the Nation of Islam , to which it was commonly compared. Although the groups shared certain philosophical positions and tactical features, the Black Panther Party and cultural nationalists differed on a number of basic points. For instance, whereas African American cultural nationalists generally regarded all white people as oppressors, the Black Panther Party distinguished between racist and nonracist whites and allied themselves with progressive members of the latter group. Also, whereas cultural nationalists generally viewed all African Americans as oppressed, the Black Panther Party believed that African American capitalists and elites could and typically did exploit and oppress others, particularly the African American working class. Perhaps most importantly, whereas cultural nationalists placed considerable emphasis on symbolic systems, such as language and imagery, as the means to liberate African Americans, the Black Panther Party believed that such systems, though important, are ineffective in bringing about liberation. It considered symbols as woefully inadequate to ameliorate the unjust material conditions, such as joblessness, created by capitalism .

From the outset, the Black Panther Party outlined a Ten Point Program, not unlike those of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and Nation of Islam, to initiate national African American community survival projects and to forge alliances with progressive white radicals and other organizations of people of colour. A number of positions outlined in the Ten Point Program address a principle stance of the Black Panther Party: economic exploitation is at the root of all oppression in the United States and abroad, and the abolition of capitalism is a precondition of social justice . In the 1960s this socialist economic outlook, informed by a Marxist political philosophy, resonated with other social movements in the United States and in other parts of the world. Therefore, even as the Black Panther Party found allies both within and beyond the borders of North America, the organization also found itself squarely in the crosshairs of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and its counterintelligence program, COINTELPRO. In fact, in 1969 FBI director J. Edgar Hoover considered the Black Panther Party the greatest threat to national security.

The Black Panther Party came into the national spotlight in May 1967 when a small group of its members, led by its chair, Seale, marched fully armed into the California state legislature in Sacramento . Emboldened by the view that African Americans had a constitutional right to bear arms (based on the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution), the Black Panther Party marched on the body as a protest against the pending Mulford Act. The Black Panther Party viewed the legislation, a gun control bill, as a political maneuver to thwart the organization’s effort to combat police brutality in the Oakland community. The images of gun-toting Black Panthers entering the Capitol were supplemented, later that year, with news of Newton’s arrest after a shoot-out with police in which an officer was killed. With this newfound publicity, the Black Panther Party grew from an Oakland-based organization into an international one with chapters in 48 states in North America and support groups in Japan , China , France, England , Germany , Sweden , Mozambique , South Africa , Zimbabwe, Uruguay , and elsewhere.

In addition to challenging police brutality, the Black Panther Party launched more than 35 Survival Programs and provided community help, such as education, tuberculosis testing, legal aid , transportation assistance, ambulance service, and the manufacture and distribution of free shoes to poor people. Of particular note was the Free Breakfast for Children Program (begun in January 1969) that spread to every major American city with a Black Panther Party chapter. The federal government had introduced a similar pilot program in 1966 but, arguably in response to the Panthers’ initiative , extended the program and then made it permanent in 1975—undoubtedly to the chagrin of Hoover.

Notwithstanding the social services the Black Panther Party provided, the FBI declared the group a communist organization and an enemy of the U.S. government. Hoover had pledged that 1969 would be the last year of the Black Panther Party and devoted the resources of the FBI, through COINTELPRO , toward that end. In a protracted program against the Black Panther Party, COINTELPRO used agent provocateurs, sabotage, misinformation , and lethal force to eviscerate the national organization. The FBI’s campaign culminated in December 1969 with a five-hour police shoot-out at the Southern California headquarters of the Black Panther Party and an Illinois state police raid in which Chicago Black Panther leader Fred Hampton was killed. The measures employed by the FBI were so extreme that, years later when they were revealed, the director of the agency publicly apologized for “wrongful uses of power.”

In the early 1970s radical scholar and activist Angela Davis became widely associated with the Black Panthers, though it seems likely that she never actually became a standing member of the party. Davis did, however, have strong connections with the party and taught political education classes for it. She initially gained notoriety in 1970 when then governor of California Ronald Reagan led the Board of Regents in refusing to renew Davis’s appointment as lecturer in philosophy at the University of California , Los Angeles , because of her politics and her association with communists. At about the same time, Davis became involved in the case of three African American inmates at Soledad Prison who had been accused of murdering a guard. She became deeply involved with one of the inmates, George Jackson, whose younger brother’s attempt on August 7, 1970, to win Jackson’s release by taking hostages in the Marin county courthouse went violently awry. Four deaths resulted, and when at least one of the guns proved to be registered to Davis, she fled charges of conspiracy , kidnapping, and murder, going underground and entering the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list before being captured some eight weeks later after becoming a cause célèbre for the radical Left. Ultimately she was acquitted of all the charges against her by an all-white jury.

From the mid-1970s through the ’80s, the activities of the Black Panther Party all but ceased. Although COINTELPRO contributed to its demise , the dissolution of the party’s leadership also contributed to the downfall of the organization. Kathleen Cleaver earned a law degree and took an appointment as a professor. After returning from exile in Cuba , Newton was killed in a drug dispute in August 1989, perishing in an alley in West Oakland, not far from where he and Seale had founded the first Black Panther Party chapter. Eldridge Cleaver designed clothes in the 1970s and ’80s before joining the anticommunist Unification Church en route to becoming a born-again Christian and a registered member of the Republican Party .

Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — Black Power Movement — The Black Panther Party As The Leaders Of Black Power Movement

The Black Panther Party as The Leaders of Black Power Movement

• Categories: African American African American History Black Power Movement

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Published: May 31, 2021

Words: 4700 | Pages: 10 | 24 min read

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The party founders, education status, community activities, 10 point program and platform, the black panther uniform, seale v. hoffman, works cited.

• Foner, P. S. (Ed.). (1995). The Black Panthers Speak. Da Capo Press.
• Hayes, F. (2017). The Black Panther Party: Service to the People Programs. City Lights Publishers.
• Jeffries, J. L. (Ed.). (2007). Black Power in the Belly of the Beast. University of Illinois Press.
• Newton, H. (1973). Revolutionary Suicide. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
• Robyn, S. (2016). The Revolution Has Come: Black Power, Gender, and the Black Panther Party in Oakland. Duke University Press.
• Seale, B. (1991). Seize the Time: The Story of the Black Panther Party and Huey P. Newton. Random House.
• Sheffield, L. (Ed.). (1970). The Black Panthers Speak. Random House.
• Spencer, R. (2016). The Revolution Has Come: Black Power, Gender, and the Black Panther Party in Oakland. Duke University Press.

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Black Panthers

By: History.com Editors

Updated: March 29, 2023 | Original: November 3, 2017

The Black Panthers, also known as the Black Panther Party, was a political organization founded in 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale to challenge police brutality against the African American community. 

Dressed in black berets and black leather jackets, the Black Panthers organized armed citizen patrols of Oakland and other U.S. cities. At its peak in 1968, the Black Panther Party had roughly 2,000 members. The organization later declined as a result of internal tensions, deadly shootouts and FBI counterintelligence activities aimed at weakening the organization.

Black Panthers Origins and History

Black Panther Party founders Huey Newton and Bobby Seale met in 1961 while students at Merritt College in Oakland, California.

They both protested the college’s “Pioneer Day” celebration, which honored the pioneers who came to California in the 1800s, but omitted the role of African Americans in settling the American West. Seale and Newton formed the Negro History Fact Group, which called on the school to offer classes in Black history.

They founded the Black Panthers in the wake of the assassination of Black nationalist Malcolm X and after police in San Francisco shot and killed an unarmed Black teen named Matthew Johnson.

Originally dubbed the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, the organization was founded in October 1966. The Black Panthers’ early activities primarily involved monitoring police activities in Black communities in Oakland and other cities.

As they instituted a number of social programs and engaged in political activities, their popularity grew. The Black Panthers drew widespread support from urban centers with large minority communities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and Philadelphia. By 1968, the Black Panthers had roughly 2,000 members across the country.

Political Activities And Social Programs

Newton and Seale drew on Marxist ideology for the party platform. They outlined the organization’s philosophical views and political objectives in a Ten-Point Program.

The Ten-Point Program called for an immediate end to police brutality; employment for African Americans; and land, housing and justice for all.

The Black Panthers were part of the larger Black Power movement, which emphasized Black pride, community control and unification for civil rights.

While the Black Panthers were often portrayed as a gang, their leadership saw the organization as a political party whose goal was getting more African Americans elected to political office. They were unsuccessful on this front. By the early 1970s, FBI counterintelligence efforts, criminal activities and an internal rift between group members weakened the party as a political force.

The Black Panthers did, however, start a number of popular community social programs, including free breakfast programs for school children and free health clinics in 13 African American communities across the United States.

Black Panthers Violence And Controversies

The Black Panthers were involved in numerous violent encounters with police. In 1967, founder Huey Newton allegedly killed Oakland police officer John Frey. Newton was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in 1968 and was sentenced to two to 15 years in prison. An appellate court decision later reversed the conviction.

Eldridge Cleaver, editor of the Black Panther’s newspaper, and 17-year old Black Panther member and treasurer Bobby Hutton, were involved in a shootout with police in 1968 that left Hutton dead and two police officers wounded.

Conflicts within the party often turned violent too. In 1969, Black Panther Party member Alex Rackley was tortured and murdered by other Black Panthers who thought he was a police informant.

Black Panther bookkeeper Betty Van Patter was found beaten and murdered in 1974. No one was charged with the death, though many believed that party leadership was responsible.

The FBI And COINTELPRO

The Black Panthers’ socialist message and black nationalist focus made them the target of a secret FBI counterintelligence program called COINTELPRO.

In 1969, the FBI declared the Black Panthers a communist organization and an enemy of the United States government. The first FBI’s first director, J. Edgar Hoover, in 1968 called the Black Panthers, “One of the greatest threats to the nation’s internal security.”

The FBI worked to weaken the Panthers by exploited existing rivalries between black nationalist groups. They also worked to undermine and dismantle the Free Breakfast for Children Program and other community social programs instituted by the Black Panthers.

In 1969, Chicago police gunned down and killed Black Panther Party members Fred Hampton and Mark Clark, who were asleep in their apartment.

About a hundred bullets were fired in what police described as a fierce gun battle with members of the Black Panther Party. However, ballistics experts later determined that only one of those bullets came from the Panthers’ side.

Although the FBI was not responsible for leading the raid, a federal grand jury later indicated that the bureau played a significant role in the events leading up to the raid.

The Black Panther Party officially dissolved in 1982.

New Black Panther Party

The New Black Panther Party is a black nationalist organization founded in Dallas, Texas, in 1989. Members of the original Black Panther Party say there’s no relation between the New Black Panther Party and the original Black Panthers.

The United States Commission on Civil Rights and the Southern Poverty Law Center have called the New Black Panther Party a hate group.

5 things to know about the Black Panthers. USA Today . Black Panther Party. Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Black Panthers: Revolutionaries, free breakfast pioneers .

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The Black Panther Party Analysis Essay (Critical Writing)

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The Black Panther Party was an organization started in 1966 with the revolutionary ideology of Black Nationalism, socialism, and armed defense due to police brutality. Before this reading, I thought the Black Panther Party was a terror group of racist, anti-white black people. After the reading, I understood that contrast to the myth; the Black Panther Party was an organization aimed at serving the people in education, healthcare, and ensuring security in black communities. The government controls the narrative regarding the Black Panther through the FBI and the media channels such as newspapers.

The FBI associated the black panthers with criminal activities such as drug dealing and harassment of white members. The FBI considered the Black Panther dangerous and collaborated with the local police departments to suppress the activities of the Black Panther. Disparately, the Black Panther Party was committed to lifting the living standard in black communities. The U.S society is capitalist, with the majority of the blacks living in the lower and middle classes and most white Americans living in the middle and upper classes. As part of their revolutionary movement, the Black Panthers developed more than thirty-five survival programs in society.

People protest to express their dissatisfaction with the social, political, and political aspects. People should be allowed to protest following the constitutional manifestation of the right to freedom of assembly and freedom of association. There is a double-standardization between black and white protesters due to negative racial stereotypes and white privilege. Black men are stereotyped to be dangerous criminals overwhelmed by ignorance and anger. Their counterparts, white Americans, have inherent advantages in society due to their skin color. The racial inequality displayed in American society is similar to people in Peru making water claims in the Water Guardians of Peru. Political policing is used to suppress constitutional protests of a particular group in the society that the government or a particular leader finds threatening.

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How The Black Panther Party Inspired a New Generation of Activists

F or the past half-century, depictions of the Black Panther Party in mainstream media have largely glossed over their ideas or their community activism. “They’ve been reduced to leather peacoats and shotguns,” Shaka King, the director of the new Black Panther-focused film Judas and the Black Messiah says. They’ve been called terrorists, fringe separatists, “wild beasts” and “the civil rights movement’s evil twin .” While the words of other Civil Rights activists like Martin Luther King, Jr., John Lewis and Malcolm X are widely read and revered, those of Huey Newton, Bobby Seale and Fred Hampton are taught and shared with far less frequency.

But if you ask many current activists fighting anti-Black racism and inequity today, they’ll tell you that the influence of the Black Panthers is immeasurable. “They exist as a continual barometer to measure ourselves against—both in terms of lessons that have been garnered as well as challenges in terms of where we can improve or deepen our analysis,” Aislinn Pulley, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter (BLM) Chicago and a co-executive director of the Chicago Torture Justice Center, says.

On Feb. 11, a further re-examination of their work and legacy will be spurred anew by Judas and the Black Messiah , which tells the story of Hampton and the Chicago Panthers as they work to organize, educate and feed their community while being mercilessly hunted by the FBI. While this history might be new to many, it isn’t to the activists who have inherited many aspects of their work from the Panthers: their socialist ideals, focus on grassroots organizing, language about white supremacy and visual tactics. On a larger scale, some of the ideas that the Black Panthers espoused—including prison abolition—have begun making their way into mainstream discourse. Here are the ways in which their legacy lives on.

Policing the Police

Countering police brutality was at the core of the Black Panthers’ mission. One of the central catalysts for their formation was the death of Matthew Johnson, an unarmed Black 16-year-old who was shot to death by police in San Francisco in 1966. In order to monitor police and discourage similar events from happening, Black Panther founders Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale devised a strategy in which they sent legally armed teams to observe police activity in Black neighborhoods.

At a time when much of the national discourse on police brutality centered on Southern cities with Jim Crow laws, the Panthers’ actions in ostensibly progressive cities were crucial toward a deeper national understanding of the depth and ubiquity of systemic racism. “There was no focus on police brutality in the North. The Panthers really put focus on what so many people, especially African Americans in the North, felt and knew,” Stanley Nelson, the filmmaker who directed the 2015 documentary The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution , says.

Black Lives Matter was formed under similar circumstances, following the acquittal of George Zimmerman for killing the unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in 2013. While technological advances have allowed activists to monitor police abuse with cell phones as opposed to weapons, Nelson says the underlying principle hasn’t changed. “We’re in the same moment, just in a different way,” he says. “In using camera phones so there can be no mistake about the police’s actions, there’s a direct line from the Black Panthers following the police around and observing their arrests.”

The Panthers’ emphasis on policing extended to the carceral system and the disproportionate jailing of Black men. “We want freedom for all Black men held in federal, state, county and city prisons and jails,” reads one of the bullet points of the Panther’s party platform, known as the Ten-Point Program. In 1970, they proposed reorganizing the police toward a communal volunteer system. Angela Davis , who was affiliated with the Panthers’ Los Angeles chapter, stumped for prison reform and a reimagining of what the carceral system could look like.

Over the past several decades, Fred Hampton’s son, Fred Hampton Jr., has taken up his father’s mantle of activism in his leadership of the Black Panther Party Cubs. This summer, the group was particularly active in calling attention to the ways in which they felt the coronavirus outbreak in Chicago’s Cook County jail—which was the nation’s largest COVID-19 hotspot in April—was an the extension of the jail’s long history of oppression and violence. “We see prison as a microcosm of our community,” Hampton Jr. says. “Chairman Fred himself was held there. Last summer, the state was literally turning Cook County into an open casket.”

As coronavirus outbreaks raged in prisons across the country, protesters took to the streets demanding the end of police brutality, the defunding of police or outright abolition . While the idea of abolition has proved very controversial politically, an ABC/Ipsos poll taken last June showed a majority of Americans supported the redirection of funds from police to other services. “The fight back against police repression that the Panthers engaged in hugely has underpinnings of abolition,” Aislinn Pulley says.

The Rise of Mutual Aid

While the Panthers fought against police brutality, they also invested heavily in community organizing and aid. Their free breakfast program fed thousands of hungry kids before school; they set up health clinics, child development centers and food pantries. They handled pest control, gave away coats and shoes in the winter, and started a free bus route to prisons for people to visit their incarcerated family members or loved ones.

And over the past few years and especially since the coronavirus, the concept of mutual aid , in which communities band together to unite in common struggle and provide help for the most vulnerable among them, has grown in popularity. Networks have sprung up in various cities to deliver groceries, cover rent and more. One of those is the People’s Survival Program in Jacksonville, Fla., which has existed since 2017, collecting food donations, educating those in need about social services and making public record requests for body camera footage. “The Black Panther Party really set me on a trajectory towards what it looks like to organize in the community,” Michael Sampson II, the executive director of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee , which runs the program, says.

Education was also a key part of the Black Panthers’ mission: they started “liberation schools” that mixed traditional subjects like math and science with teachings about Black history and racial inequity . Current activists have embraced this emphasis on education: Noname, a rapper and activist, has a book club which has included Black Panther Party readings and materials, while Colin Kaepernick hosted a free youth camp in 2016 based on the Panthers’ 10-point plan, focusing on the history of policing and human rights. In Chicago, Pulley hopes to integrate more educational aspects into the fabric of the Black Lives Matter organization. “Rigorous study was a big, big part of membership criteria for the Panthers,” Pulley says. “That’s certainly an area where we have a lot of growth that needs to happen.”

Image Control

It’s no accident that the image of the Black Panther Party remains so deeply embedded in the cultural consciousness. Party leaders like Huey Newton were keenly aware of the power images had in raising an organization’s profile and constructing a visual mythos. Eldridge Cleaver, for instance, helped devise an imposing image of a seated Huey P. Newton that would come to define the movement for years to come; decades later, it was even replicated in a poster for the Marvel film Black Panther .

The organization’s newspaper, The Black Panther , likewise placed a heavy emphasis on its visuals, prominently featuring Emory Douglas’ blaring comic strips and illustrations. Those illustrations are now cited as a key influence by many younger artists, who are emblazoning similar types of designs on streetwear and urban murals. The artist Fresco Steez—whose “Stop Killing Black People” masks were worn at protests across the country last summer, including by Rep. Ilhan Omar— recently announced a collection with Levi’s that includes her own take on the Black Panther logo. “We’re not just talking about Black history, we’re talking about Black futures,” she wrote in a press release . “The future that we are moving towards is in a long tradition of Black people building power in uprising and political struggle.”

In recent years, Black Panther visual mythology has also made its way into sports and pop culture. At the 2018 Super Bowl, Beyoncé performed at the halftime show with her dancers sporting Pantheresque black berets. (This iconography drew plenty of outrage, including from the executive director of the National Sheriffs’ Association, who accused her of “inciting bad behavior.”) And after NBA star Russell Westbrook was taunted by a fan with what he termed was “racial” and “disrespectful” abuse during a 2019 game in Utah, Jazz and Nets players turned up to a following game wearing t-shirts with a Fred Hampton quote: “You don’t fight racism with racism, you fight racism with solidarity.”

Female Leadership

While the most widely shared images of the Black Panthers are of men, women played an essential role in the party, making up at least two-thirds of the organization by the end of the 1960s . Elaine Brown edited the Party’s newspaper and led the entire organization from 1974 to 1977. Other women were involved at all levels of organizing; they fought for more inclusive understandings of Black Power, armed themselves and led many of the party’s most successful community programs. (One of those women is the writer and activist Akua Njeri, who is portrayed by Dominique Fishback in Judas and the Black Messiah .)

Black Lives Matter was founded by three women— Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi —and many of its leaders across the country are female. Pulley says that a chant written by former Panther Assata Shakur is routinely used to close out Black Lives Matter actions and meetings. “We continue to learn from them: they have enormous experiential wisdom, which is really huge, especially because historical amnesia and erasure are very commonplace,” Pulley says of the Panther women.

Continued Impact

Many activists acknowledge that the Panthers were neither a monolith nor perfect: they were plagued, at various points, by infighting, sexism and violence. “Sometimes they said things we just cringed from,” Nelson says. But Michael Sampson II says that “what we’ve learned from the Panthers is much greater than the failures of what they’ve done.” And many of their ideals continue to reverberate and gain steam. Their call for reparations has been re-energized by the writings of Ta-Nehisi Coates and congressional candidates who have recently made it a part of their campaigns . While the word socialism alone still rankles many Americans—just like it did when the Panthers championed it—polls have shown that support for some form of socialism has increased over the last decade. Hampton’s Rainbow Coalition, in which he united disenfranchised Black, Hispanic and white organizing groups, has inspired activists like Pulley to form alliances across demographic lines in class solidarity. And long before Andrew Yang was espousing universal basic income , the Black Panthers wrote in their Ten-Point Program: “We believe that the federal government is responsible and obligated to give every man employment or a guaranteed income.”

“When the Panthers came out, so many people wondered what they were talking about,” Nelson says. “But we can go down the demands of the Ten-Point Program, one by one, and so many people would agree with all of them.”

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Stories From the Black Panthers’ Unfinished Revolution

In “The Black Panthers: Portraits From an Unfinished Revolution,” the photographer Bryan Shih and the historian Yohuru R. Williams tell the rarely heard stories of the rank-and-file members of the organization through portraits, interviews and scholarly essays. Fifty years after the Black Panthers’ founding, in October 1966, the volume, published by Nation Books , goes beyond charismatic leaders like Huey P. Newton, Bobby Seale and Eldridge Cleaver and allows the group’s members to reflect on their personal experiences. Below are portraits by Mr. Shih, along with short biographies as they appear in the book and audio excerpts of the testimonies.

Claudia Chesson-Williams

Claudia Chesson-Williams (b. April 23, 1951) was a member of the Corona, Queens, Branch of the Black Panther Party. She later worked in the Information Technology Department of Columbia University for twenty-three years, and then for Greenhope Services for Women, an alternative-to-incarceration program. She is part of the Black Panther Commemoration Committee New York, which hosts an annual festival to raise money for political prisoners.

Phyllis Jackson

Phyllis Jackson (b. September 15, 1950) grew up in Tacoma, Washington, before joining the party at the National Headquarters. She served as a communications secretary and ran a voter registration campaign. She is an associate professor of art history at Pomona College, teaching arts and cinema of Africa and the African diaspora.

Nelson Malloy

Nelson Malloy (b. September 22, 1946) helped found the Winston-Salem Chapter of the Black Panther Party in North Carolina, and he also ran the chapter’s free ambulance service. He was shot by fellow Panthers and left for dead in the aftermath of a botched assassination attempt (in which Malloy was not involved) to silence a potential witness in a murder trial against Huey P. Newton, the charges for which were eventually dropped.

Ajamu Strivers

Ajamu Strivers (b. August 19, 1950), a self-described “service brat,” lived in San Juan, Puerto Rico; France; and Arizona before his family settled in Sacramento, California, where he joined the Sacramento Branch of the party. He later worked for the state of California in roles including elections, telecommunications, warehouse management, and health and safety.

Herman A. Bell

Herman A. Bell (b. January 14, 1948) grew up in Brooklyn, New York, before moving to Oakland to play college football on a scholarship. He is currently incarcerated in Great Meadow Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison in upstate New York, where he has served more than forty-two years of a twenty-five-years-to-life sentence for killing two New York City police officers. While in prison, he earned bachelor of science degrees in psychology and sociology and a master’s degree in sociology and has been active in various prison programs. While incarcerated, he also helped found the Victory Gardens Project in rural Maine, which taught gardening and farming skills in the context of political awareness.

Charlotte O’Neal

Charlotte “Mama C.” O’Neal (b. March 9, 1951) joined the Kansas City Chapter of the party, but not long after fled the United States with her husband and chapter founder Pete O’Neal, after he was convicted of transporting a gun across state lines. They currently reside in Tanzania, where they created the United African Alliance Community Center, which offers a variety of arts and educational programs. She is a musician, poet, speaker, and writer.

Mike Tagawa

Mike Tagawa (b. February 19, 1944) was born in Minidoka Relocation Camp in southern Idaho, one of several such camps in which Japanese citizens were interned during World War II by the US government. After being released, he and his family moved to the Central District of Seattle. He joined the US Air Force and later the Seattle Chapter of the Black Panther Party. He currently works as a bus driver for King County Metro in Seattle.

Hazel Mack (b. June 12, 1951) was a member of the Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Chapter of the party. She graduated from Temple Law School and serves as regional managing attorney for Legal Aid of North Carolina. She is also founder and board president of the Carter G. Woodson K–12 Charter School.

William Johnson

William “BJ” Johnson (b. March 4, 1949) grew up in Corona, Queens, where he also joined the party. Later he was the road manager for a singing group called the Variations that he says opened for James Brown, Sammy Davis Jr., and Aretha Franklin.

Katherine Campbell

Katherine Campbell (b. October 8, 1951) was raised in San Francisco, where she also first encountered the party. In addition to working on the newspaper, she was a longtime worker at the Oakland Community School, where she was in charge of preparing special menus for people with allergies.

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The Most Important Legacy of the Black Panthers

“Relations between police and Negroes throughout the country are getting worse,” a mid-sixties newscaster intones over images of police arresting young black men, which appear at the outset of Stanley Nelson’s “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of The Revolution.” Perhaps this assertion is as true today as it was then, but for the subjects of Nelson’s documentary, the answer to police brutality was one that we don’t hear from many contemporary #blacklivesmatter activists: meet force with force, fire with fire.

This credo meant a lot to beleaguered black communities in California, in the mid-sixties. They were full of African-Americans who had left the South to find better opportunities and the rule of law, only to discover that laws were malleable things that could be shaped to ignore or brutalize them. From 1962 to 1964, the years just before the Watts rebellion, there were sixty-five people killed by the L.A.P.D., including twenty-seven who had been shot in the back. Only one of those deaths was deemed murder. In this context, it is not surprising that four years after the Black Panther Party was founded, in October of 1966, by a loose and very young assortment of Bay Area radicals (their initial mission was to legally follow and monitor police officers with unconcealed weapons), the organization grew to one with headquarters in sixty-eight cities. The Panthers also had a newspaper that reached one hundred and fifty thousand readers, and popular social programs that provided breakfast, clothing, and health care to many without it. Yet something like the Panthers still seems far-fetched, impossible in our time.

The story of the organization’s rise and fall is told lucidly, in great detail, and without much adornment by Nelson’s documentary. Interviews with former Panthers dominate, but Nelson also talks to retired policemen who harassed and raided the group, as well as to several journalists who covered them. In this way, Nelson’s film provides a corrective to the stereotype-driven portrayals of Panthers and their ideology that one finds in popular movies like Lee Daniels’ “The Butler.” Nelson also eschews the narrative of unbridled heroism prescribed to the group in Mario Van Peebles’s once influential “Panther,” a highly fictionalized and haphazardly truncated account, released twenty years ago.

The initial furor that the Panthers caused cannot be overstated. Less than a year after the armed Panther Patrols emerged, the California governor Ronald Reagan signed the Mulford Act, put forward by the California State Assembly with the explicit desire to prevent the Panthers from carrying loaded firearms in public. In protest, on May 2, 1967, twenty-six armed Panthers, led by the co-founder Bobby Seale, invaded the State Assembly chamber, with shotguns and pistols drawn. The group’s ranks and prestige exploded in the wake of the incident. The nascent notion of “black power,” first coined two years before by the S.N.C.C.’s Stokely Carmichael, on the back of a truck in the Deep South, had its most visible standard bearer yet.

The Panthers, in the second issue of their newspaper, laid out a ten-point program, one which called for full employment, decent housing, historically conscious education, as well as the end of black imprisonment, service in the armed forces, subjugation to police brutality, and “the robbery by the white men of our Black Community.” Although the men who delivered these messages to the public, largely Huey P. Newton and Eldridge Cleaver, were mocked by white conservatives such as William F. Buckley and Tom Wolfe, a look at the 1972 Democratic Party platform tells you that their ideas were taken far more seriously by the political establishment (and were far more concrete) than those of the Occupy Movement, two generations later.

Newton and Cleaver were both involved in gun battles with police officers in the late sixties. Cleaver, a literary celebrity for his 1968 memoir “Soul on Ice,” fled to Algeria after his shoot-out, which followed in the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and was largely seen as a foolhardy ambush on the police, one which left one of the youngest and earliest members of the Panthers, Bobby Hutton, dead. Newton was initially jailed for his gun battle, which grew out of a mysterious traffic stop, and in short order he became a cause célèbre for much of the American left. (“Free Huey!” is still, just barely, part of the national nomenclature.)

As Nelson tells it, the early-seventies decline of the Panthers was brought about by the outright war waged against them by the F.B.I.’s COINTELPRO unit, which frequently raided Panther headquarters and, as in the case of Fred Hampton, the chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Panthers, assassinated group leaders. Yet decadence and dissension amongst the party’s leadership, and the ascendance of a black middle class with more access to the economic and social mainstream, are perhaps equally to blame for the Panthers’ decline. While the documentary doesn’t give as detailed account of these matters as it does the F.B.I.’s dirty tricks, Nelson doesn’t shy away from the less heroic elements of the Panther story nearly as much as Van Peebles’s “Panther” does. That film places the blame for the group’s demise almost solely on the intransigence of the F.B.I., who allegedly colluded with the mafia and local law enforcement to flood the black community with drugs, necessitating the drug violence and addiction that Van Peebles saw as the real reason behind the continued malaise of black communities in 1995, the year the film was made.

In the early seventies, while Newton advocated for doubling down on food and educational programs and leaving the threat of armed insurrection behind, Cleaver continued to argue for outright armed confrontation with the white man. Their disagreements spilled into public, coming to a head when the two both appeared as guests on a radio program in 1971. Newton claimed that he was expelling Cleaver (and the international wing of the Panthers that he ran in exile) from the group; according to Bobby Seale, the group’s rank and file became demoralized, unsure of whom the follow. Soon, those ranks began to thin for the first time since 1966.

Cleaver’s more militant faction, joined by white radicals such as those in the Weather Underground, continued to preach revolutionary rhetoric, but such an uprising remained impossible. The incidents of political violence that punctuated the era—shootings, bombings, and the occasional robbery—remain unconvincing markers of a larger revolution that never came. Meanwhile, Newton’s wing of the party, focussed on “survival programs pending revolution,” became more circumspect. In Joshua Bloom and Waldo Martin’s celebrated history of the Panthers, “Black Against Empire,” they estimate that sixty-five per cent of the editorials found in the organization’s newspaper in 1970 promoted “revolution now” as an attainable goal, but by 1973 less than one per cent continued to do so. Despite this change in focus, Newton proved to be an increasingly unstable leader, prone to drug abuse and violent, unhinged behavior.

A political moment in which the Panthers’ most salient ideas would have been given a thorough vetting by our country’s legislature has never existed, but the ten-point program remains as incendiary and intellectually defensible today as it was then, especially in our era of mass incarceration and structural joblessness. In “Panther,” a movie that knows no subtlety it is not willing to discard, J. Edgar Hoover (Richard Dysart) has the ten-point program read to him by one of his agents, and then complains that the nation’s Negroes are calling for “reparations,” before giving the go-ahead on a violent crackdown of the Panthers. It’s no small irony that so much of the scholarship that went into Ta-Nehisi Coates’s celebrated essay on the subject, last summer, focussed on the housing discrimination of the era in which many of the Panthers came of age. Reparations for Housing-Wealth Usurpation doesn’t quite have the same ring as Reparations for Slavery, but it might make a more compelling case for future generations of black radicals seeking remunerative justice for the sins of the past.

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The Black Panther Party

The Pratt Library has a variety of resources both in person and online that will help you research the Black Panther Party.

What was the Black Panther Party?

The Black Panther Party (BPP), originally called the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was founded in 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, student activists of Merritt College in Oakland, CA. Its ideology was heavily inspired by Malcolm X, Frantz Fanon, and orthodox Marxism.

The Black Panther Party logo

Black Panther article in Black Scholar Journal on JSTOR

Research Tips

There are many books about the Black Panther Party, some of which are collections of their writings, artwork, speeches, etc. Many members have also written memoirs of their experience in the group. For ones available through Enoch Pratt Free Library, search the catalog . Keep in mind, the Black Panther Party is also likely to be addressed in resources about the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Power Movement, and Black Nationalism.

Find information, primary sources, and more on key members of the Black Panther party.

• Brown, Elaine
• Douglas, Emory
• Cleaver, Eldridge
• Hilliard, David
• Cleaver, Kathleen
• Newton, Huey P.
• Davis, Angela
• Seale, Bobby

The library subscribes to several databases that may be helpful in your research. You will have to login with your library card in order to access them remotely.

• For the Black Panther Party's newspaper, oral histories of its members, and other primary sources, go to the Black Thought and Culture database.
• For additional news articles: Maryland Newspapers and Historical Newspapers
• For encyclopedia articles: Virtual Reference Library
• For articles from academic journals: JSTOR (only accessible within the library)

The Black Panther newspaper is available from the Black Thought and Culture database

Black Panther video still from the Bay Area TV Archive

General Resources

• Black Panther Party Collection - The Bay Area Television Archive "Local newsfilm and privately produced footage relating to the Black Panther Party's Oakland Chapter, from the 1960s & 70s."
• The Black Panther: newspaper of the Black Panther Party Twenty issues of the paper made available in .pdf format by www.libcom.org
• FBI Records: The Vault - Release of investigative files that tracked the "militant activities, income, and expenses" of the Charlotte chapter. Also, files on Fred Hampton , Huey P Newton , Stokely Carmichael , and ones associated with COINTELPRO, particularly Black Extremist .
• MSU Libraries: Digital Collections: Black Panthers Various documents about and/or created by the Black Panther Party.
• Seattle Black Panther Party History and Memory Project Essays, video oral histories, digitized news articles, photographs, documents created by the members, and a section on the 1970 congressional investigation.

African American Department

The African American Collection is an in-depth collection of fiction and nonfiction resources that pertain to the history and culture of African Americans.

Maryland Department

The Maryland Department is a comprehensive collection of materials related to the state of Maryland.

A Pratt library card grants you access to databases for all ages! Research and search articles and documents across dozens of subjects.

If you would like to know more, try our Live Chat with a Librarian service, or contact us .

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Fascination and Fear: Covering the Black Panthers

By Giovanni Russonello

• Oct. 15, 2016

The Black Panther Party was founded 50 years ago in Oakland, Calif., on Oct. 15, 1966. Within two years, it had chapters across the country. The Times is marking the occasion by exploring the Black Panthers’ legacy through their i conography and how they were covered in our own pages.

Fifty years later, images from the Black Panther Party’s heyday still flicker in our national memory. With their leather jackets, black berets and lock step formations, these youthful revolutionaries were ready-made for media coverage — and for posterity.

With the heroic era of the civil rights movement glimmering to a close in 1966, the Black Panthers showed that a more radical struggle for racial justice could be photogenic, even if it was less palatable to the mainstream.

An ironic tension emerged in the way the press treated the Black Panthers: Journalists were at once fascinated and frightened by them. And The New York Times was no exception.

“At the same time the newspaper was dubious and skeptical of them, it also gave them a tremendous amount of coverage,” said Jane Rhodes, a professor of African-American studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the author of “Framing the Black Panthers: The Spectacular Rise of a Black Power Icon.”

“The media, like most of white America, was deeply frightened by their aggressive and assertive style of protest,” Professor Rhodes said. “And they were offended by it.”

F.B.I. Memos on the Black Panther Party

These documents, made public during a civil suit brought by a former Black Panther, Dhoruba al-Mujahid bin Wahad, in the 1980s, show that the F.B.I. exploited press coverage in its efforts to undermine the group.

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Black Panther Party: Enduring Legacy of Resistance and Equality

This essay about the Black Panther Party (BPP) explores its profound and influential role in 1960s America. Founded in 1966 in Oakland, California, by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, the BPP emerged as a revolutionary force against injustice, cruelty, and racial and economic inequality. Departing from conventional civil rights strategies, the party advocated for self-defense, openly carrying weapons in accordance with California laws. Beyond symbolic resistance, the BPP initiated programs for children and addressed economic disparities through public survival conferences. Despite government opposition, the BPP’s enduring influence continues to inspire the ongoing fight for civil rights and justice. On PapersOwl, there’s also a selection of free essay templates associated with Black Panther Party.

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• Black Panther Party Essays

Black Panther Party Essays (Examples)

Filter by keywords:(add comma between each), example essays.

Black Panther Party and the Africa-American Community

Black Panther Party Bobby Seale and his contribution to Black Panthers Charles E. Jones and the analysis he conducted in his book has basically been used by us in this paper to conduct an assessment of the contribution made by Bobby Seale to the Black Panthers. We chose Jones' book for this paper because all the essays that were written by the previous Black Panther Party members as well as the essays that were written by the historical scholars are accurately presented in Jones's book. Furthermore, various characteristics of the Black Panther Party through and past its active days have been included…...

mla References Churchill, W. And Vander Wall, J. (1988). Agents of Repression: The FBI's Secret War Against the Black Panther Party and the American Indian Movement. South End Press. Forbes, F.A. (2006). Will You Die With Me? My Life and the Black Panther Party. Atria Books.

An Analysis of the Success of the Black Panther Party

Authenticity and Legacy of the Black Panther Party Authentic is when someone is true to their heritage and culture and a growing number of modern observers agree that despite their otherwise militant activities, the Black Panther Party was an authentic representation of the blacks in America at the time. To determine the facts, this paper reviews the relevant literature to provide a background and overview of the Black Panther Party, an analysis concerning whether the Black Panther Party was authentic or not with respect to black authenticity, whether such a standard is applied to other black people with different political…...

mla Works Cited Baggins, Brian. (2015). "History of the Black Panther Party." Marxists Internet Archive. Web. "Black Panther Party Platform, Program, and Rules." (1966, October). History is a Weapon. Web.

Real History of the Black Panther Party

Real History of the lack Panther Party The lack Panther Party may be one of the most misunderstood organizations in American History. Often thought of as a militant and violent separatist organization, few people understood the true origins or goals of the lack Panther Party. Part of this is due to the fact that people intentionally distorted the role that the lack Panther's sought to play in American society. Rather than a group that advocated violence, the lack Panthers were actually an anti-violence organization. At the time that the lack Panthers was founded, police brutality against African-Americans was not only…...

mla Bibliography Alabama Tourism Department. 2011. Civil Rights Trail Itinerary. Sweet Home Alabama. 2011,   (accessed July 12, 2011). http://www.alabama.travel/travel-tools/trip-ideas/Civil_Rights_Trail_Itinerary.html 

Political Science Black Representation

political representation of African-Americans in the southern United States. The author explores many different theories as well as the ideas of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King to explore the under presentation of Blacks politically. There were eight sources used to complete this paper. African-Americans have come a long way since the nation's inception. From the days of slavery, to the present time many bridges have been crossed and many battles have been won. Gone are the days that Blacks were required to sit at the back of the bus. No longer can Blacks be told they must eat at a…...

mla Works Cited Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man Cornell, Stephen. The Return of the Native: American Indian Political Resurgence

Case Study on Black Freedom Struggle

C.O.R.E. And Its Role in the Black Freedom Struggle Nearly one hundred forty years ago, a tall, and not very good-looking, bearded man stepped out onto a great, open field. His tired eyes wandered over the bloody ground, over the earth covered with corpses, over the scene of one of the greatest battles in American History, and his words rang out true and clear -."..Our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." Abraham Lincoln's famous address gave meaning and purpose to all those young lives…...

mla Works Cited http://www.questia.com/PageManagerHTMLMediator.qst?action=openPageViewer&docId=22777836"Anderson, Terry H. The Movement and the Sixties. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996. De Leon, David, ed. Leaders from the 1960s: A Biographical Sourcebook of American Activism. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1994. Eskew, Glenn T. But for Birmingham: The Local and National Movements in the Civil Rights Struggle / . Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1997. Jasper, James M. The Art of Moral Protest: Culture, Biography, and Creativity in Social Movements. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997. King, Richard H. Civil Rights and the Idea of Freedom. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. Levy, Peter B. The Civil Rights Movement. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1998. Peake, Thomas R. Keeping the Dream Alive: A History of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference from King to the Nineteen-Eighties. New York: Peter Lang, 1987. Pinkney, Alphonso. Black Americans. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prenitice-Hall, 1975.

Ballot or the Bullet Malcolm

" He explained that the ballot of 1964 represented a catalyst for the time being, "When all of the white political crooks will be right back in your and my community ... with their false promises which they don't intend to keep." He stated further that the Democrats lied about their support of the civil rights bill and had no actual intentions of passing it. He stated that they were simply out to play games and were using African-Americans as bait. Essentially, Malcolm stated that all African-Americans must use the ballot or the bullet. They must defend themselves and also…...

mla References Black panther party. Marxists.org. Web. 24 Mar 2012.

Caucasia - Danzy Senna the

hat Birdie learns is that race, like many other issues of identity is mutable, if your appearance is "passable." One thing that is particualy interesting is that blackness is an ideal in the work, and the white daughter (Birdie) is not the favored daughter. "Danzy Senna's 1998 novel, Caucasia, casts blackness as the ideal, desired identity. For protagonist Birdie Lee and her sister, Cole -- offspring of a civil rights movement union between their white activist mother and black intellectual father -- whiteness simply pales in comparison. (Harrison-Kahan 19) to a great degree whiteness is constructed as a lesser…...

mla Works Cited Bayes, Jane H. Minority Politics and Ideologies in the United States. Novato, CA: Chandler and Sharp, 1982. Dagbovie, Sika Alaine. "Fading to White, Fading Away: Biracial Bodies in Michelle Cliff's Abeng and Danzy Senna's Caucasia." African-American Review 40.1 (2006): 93.

Radical Groups Individuals and Organizations

The Black Arts Movement refers specifically to the rise of African-American literature in the 1960s. Writer and activist Amiri Baraka started the movement in Harlem in response to the assassination of Malcolm X and actively encouraged black writers to use their voices to tell their stories. The movement went outside of the realm of written art to include theater and other forms of expression. It led to the development of cultural studies programs at universities that focused on the idea that being black in the United States was a different cultural experience than being white, and helped highlight social differences…...

mla References Estate of Malcolm X (2012). Biography. Retrieved May 13, 2012 from Malcolm X website:   http://www.malcolmx.com/about/bio.html 

Manning Marable in His Book

" By 1967, Black Power had become the dominant ideology of black youth as well as many individuals in the working and middle classes. King's assassination confirmed the growing nationalistic belief against nonviolence. The greatest challenge came from the Black Panther Party and its ten-point program of radical reform. The U.S. government were alarmed by these demands, and agencies such as the FB stepped up their targeting of radical black groups. n Chapter 6, Marable analyzes the political status and labor movements of this time. He emphasizes the lack of support for the full incorporation of black laborers -- the American Federation…...

mla In his epilogue, Marable concludes: "American history has repeated itself, in regard to its interpretation of the pursuit of biracial democracy: the fist time as tragedy, the second time as catastrophe. In the aftermath of the First Reconstruction, white American historians attempted to portray the democratic experiment of 1965-77 as a complete disaster." After the Second Reconstruction, a similar process of historical revisionism took place -- led by President Reagan, who attempted to undermine the last vestiges of institutional equality. Does this mean that the Second Reconstruction was a failure? "Our judgment," he says, "would be a resounding and unconditional 'no.'" Jim Crow is dead, the American State is committed to equal opportunity under law, the black consumer market has grown considerably. However, as an Afro-American and a socialist, Marable admits he cannot write his book without some political comment concerning those in poverty and many of the crimes against blacks still being committed. "The story of the Second Reconstruction has no moral, other than the simple truth that an oppressed people will not remain oppressed forever." Several basic ideals have sustained black courage: democracy, equality and freedom.However, "given the evolution of capitalism, racism and democracy in America, a truly anti-racist democratic state must of necessity also be a socialist democracy....The demand for racial parity within a state apparatus and economy, which is based on institutional racism and capital accumulation at the expense of blacks and labor is flawed from the outset." A small group of black elites has formed, a small amount of blacks have been appointed in the government, but the now the passage of power must be given to those who create all wealth -- the working class. This will only be realized with the rise of the Third Reconstruction that seeks the empowerment of the laboring classes and all oppressed.

Amiri Baraka

Le OI Jones was the original name for the activist who became Amiri Baraka. He came from the Beat Movement to activism after the assassination of Malcolm X, taking his new name. As a writer, he was able to contribute a literate voice to the civil rights and Black Power movements. This paper will outline those contributions that he made to both of these movements, including founding the Black Arts Movement. Early Life Jones was born and raised in Newark and took an interest in both music and writing at an early age. After graduating Howard University with a degree in English…...

mla References Als, H. (2014). Amiri Baraka's first family. The New Yorker. Retrieved November 3, 2014 from   http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/amiri-barakas-first-family  AmiriBaraka.com (2014). Poet, playwright, activist. AmiriBaraka.com. Retrieved November 3, 2014 from   http://www.amiribaraka.com/ 

Martin Luther King's Contribution to

Martin Luther King's contribution to the Civil Rights movement in America was certainly significant. He was more than just a figurehead with tremendous oratory skills. As an advocate of non-violent protest he helped formulate, and implement, one of the most important strategies of the Civil Rights era. However, his most important contribution to the Movement was his ability to connect with a majority of Americans. His message concerning injustice and equality swept away divisions based on class or color because he reminded the nation that its very foundations were based on such ideals. Without King's message it is unlikely that…...

mla Bibliography Bryant, Nick (Autumn 2006). "Black Man Who Was Crazy Enough to Apply to Ole Miss." The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education (53): 60 -- 71. Clayborne Carson; Peter Holloran; Ralph Luker; Penny a. Russell. The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr.. University of California Press, 1992.

Recession and African-Americans in the

Edgar Hoover, makes public its continuing investigation into the activities of black nationalist organizations, singling out the Black Panther Party in particular, Hoover viewing the group as a national security threat. January 05, 1970 Blacks Move Out of Inner Cities: The Bureau of Census statistics show as the quality of life in poverty-stricken urban communities worsens, a continuous stream of middle-class blacks escape to higher-income neighborhoods and suburbs. February 13, 1970 First Black Member of the New York Stock Exchange: Joseph L. Searles III becomes the first African-American to become a member of the New York Stock Exchange, starting his training as a…...

mla REFERENCES African-American male unemployment: Robert Carmona. (2007). Congressional Testimony. Retrieved May 12, 2009 from HighBeam Research:   http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P135839035.html 

Assata Shakur's Autobiography Assata Shakur Is a

Assata Shakur's Autobiography Assata Shakur is a member of the Black Panthers and an activist. She is also an escaped convict and has been linked to the Black Liberation Army (BLA). She was accused of various crimes between 1971 and 1973, and became the subject of a police hunt that reached across several states (Christol, Gysin, & Mulvey, 2001). In 1973 she was part of a New Jersey Turnpike shootout where she was wounded along with a trooper. Another trooper and a BLA member were killed in that altercation. Between then and 1977, Shakur was indicted in relation to six other…...

mla References Christol, Helene. Gysin, Fritz, and Mulvey, Christopher (eds.). (2001). Militant Autobiography: The Case of Assata Shakur in Black Liberation in the Americas. Berlin-Hamburg-Munster: LIT Verlag. Shakur, Assata. (1987, New edition November 1, 1999). Assata: An Autobiography. Chicago: Lawrence Hill Books.

Cointelpro an Acronym for Counterintelligence Program

Cointelpro In the United States during the 1960s, the nation was in a period of social turmoil. The post-orld ar II suburban culture was giving way to rebellion and revolution and a total upset of the status quo. Particularly in the school and universities, educated members of the youth population began to question the rules and morays established by their predecessors and became determined to change things. This did not sit well with the older Americans, those who had fought in the world wars or Korea and who had taken over the guardianship of the country, this included holding positions of…...

mla Works Cited: FBI document. (1969). Director FBI to SAC San Francisco. FBI Reading Room. Glick, B. (1989). The War at Home: Covert Action against U.S. Activists and What We Can Do

Fight the Power by Public

notes in "Public Enemy: Power to the People and the Beats," the Civil ights Movement did not change living conditions for many black Americans: The famous Civil ights movement, which began in the fifties with Martin Luther King and reached a climax in the late sixties with the spread of the Black Panther Party, in reality failed to bring a significant improvement in the living standard for the oppressed black minority within the United States." Public Enemy rejects at least some of the teaching of the Civil ights Movement, including the notion that people are all the same, implying that there…...

mla References Haupt, Adam. "Notions of rupture (or noise) in subculture." Accessed 16 March 2005. http://www.uwc.ac.za/arts/english/interaction/95ah.htm M., Goran. "Public Enemy: Power to the People and the Beats." Accessed 16 March 2005. http://www.marxist.com/ArtAndLiterature/public_enemy_art.html

I\'ve seen the common essay topics on american history. Any lesser-known but interesting ones you can recommend?

The Forgotten Chapters of American History: Uncovering Lesser-Known but Captivating Essay Topics Beyond the familiar narratives of the American Revolution, Civil War, and westward expansion, American history is a tapestry woven with countless lesser-known stories that offer valuable insights and provoke thought. Here are some intriguing essay topics that illuminate hidden aspects of our nation's past: 1. The Forgotten Pioneers: Exploring the Contributions of Women in the Transcontinental Railroad While the construction of the transcontinental railroad is often attributed to male workers, over a thousand women played a crucial role as cooks, laundresses, nurses, and telegraph operators. Their contributions were essential to the....

What historical significance does Crenshaw hold in Los Angeles?

Crenshaw holds significant historical importance in Los Angeles as it has been a center of African American culture and community in the city for many decades. It has been home to various influential figures, institutions, and events that have played a major role in shaping the social, cultural, and political landscape of the city. Crenshaw is known for its rich history of activism and civil rights movements, with organizations such as the Black Panther Party and the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) being active in the area. The neighborhood has also been a hub for African American businesses, arts, and culture,....

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More than a Fashion Statement

An afro tucked into a black beret, sunglasses over the eyes, a black leather jacket ornamented with pinback buttons, and a gun strapped across the body with a fist in the air. This is the uniform of the Black Panther Party.

Although the impressive uniform garnered public attention, it was not a fashion statement. From top to bottom the uniform worn by many Black Panther Party members was strategic and symbolic. This uniform was a shift from what many in the Civil Rights Movement wore. During the Civil Rights Movement, participants dressed professionally, classy and as some would describe as in their “ Sunday’s Best .” Suits, dresses, skirts, and well-groomed hair made up the Civil Rights Movement uniform because Black people wanted others to treat them with dignity and respect. The uniform reflected African Americans’ desire for their demands of equality to be taken seriously. Conversely, the Black Panther Party’s uniform shifted from this ideology because members did not aim to conform but challenge white standards and respectability politics.

The Black Panther Party uniform was iconic for being eye catching and for its unisex appearance. During a time when gender roles were evolving and women presenting themselves as militant was modern, the imagery of Black Panther Party women wearing berets and carrying guns was revolutionary. To the public eye, the Black Panther Party’s unisex uniform symbolized the inclusion of women in the organization. However, although the Black Panther Party included women, the organization was not always inclusive of women. Women played an important role in the Black Panther Party’s success, yet they still experienced sexism. Despite this, the uniform is still a recognition of women’s power, value to the organization, and reflects the Party’s belief in Black power, self-determination, and racial pride.

Black Panther demonstration, Alameda Co. Court House, Oakland, California, during Huey Newton's trial, #71 , July 30, 1968. Photograph by Pirkle Jones.

Afros symbolized the pride Black Panthers had in their natural hair. The afro defied Eurocentric beauty standards that were pushed onto Black people. African Americans often straightened their hair to assimilate into American society because it was difficult to find jobs if they wore their hair naturally. Straightening hair was a means of survival. However, both men and women in the Black Panther Party disrupted this narrative by embracing the afro, showing that straightening hair was not needed to survive. As a result, Black Panther Party members adopted the slogan “ Black is Beautiful .” This slogan was an affirmation to themselves and to people in the world that denied the beauty in Blackness. The slogan was also an admiration for the variety of skin shades, hair textures, and physical features that made up the African Diaspora.

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Kathleen Cleaver in 1968 discussing Black is beautiful and why Black Panther Party members wear their hair naturally.

On top of their afros, Black Panthers often wore berets. The beret is a symbol of revolution. Historically, berets symbolize non-conformism, resistance, and militance; globally they are often worn as a part of military uniforms. Black Panther leaders Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale were inspired to adopt berets as part of the Black Panther uniform after seeing French Resistance Fighters during World War II wear berets in a film. The Black Panther Party’s revolutionary ideologies and resistance against police brutality made the beret a perfect addition to their uniform.

Black beret from the Black Power Era, 1970s.

Black Panther guards at Free Huey Rally, Bobby Hutton Memorial Park, Oakland, CA, No. 21 , August 25, 1968. Photograph by Ruth-Marion Baruch.

Although stylish, Black Panthers also wore sunglasses as part of their uniform to conceal their identities. The Black Panther Party was often under surveillance by the government. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover wanted to end the Black Panther Party’s existence and declared them “the greatest threat to internal security of the country.” Strong declarations such as this influenced Black Panther members to avoid being identified in public. As surveillance increased, violence by police against Black Panther members also increased. Shown in this timeline , is the amount of violence and killings Black Panthers experienced in 1968 alone. In addition, Newton in his autobiography Revolutionary Suicide (1973) stated that police kept a record of Black Panther vehicles and stopped them consistently. Newton recalls police stopping him for 30 minutes while looking for violations on his car. Therefore, wearing sunglasses to hide their identities was one way to conceal themselves and keep themselves safe.

Leather Jackets

Although worn by most Black Panthers, leather jackets were less symbolic compared to the rest of the Black Panther uniform. Bobby Seale convinced Huey P. Newton to use a black leather jacket he already owned as part of his uniform. Because leather jackets were items people already owned, the use of leather jackets caught on mostly out of convenience. Typically, black leather jackets were worn, but some Black Panther chapters also wore green camouflage jackets. Both men and women Party members wore leather jackets, but in some cases, the leather jacket was a symbol of masculine Panthers and did not represent women members of the Party.

Black Panther couple listening, Free Huey Rally, De Fremery Park, Oakland, CA, No. 20 , July 14, 1968. Photograph by Pirkle Jones.

Buttons were often pinned to leather jackets and/or berets worn by Black Panthers. Pinback buttons were used to further promote a cause or message. Because pinback buttons were inexpensive to produce, it was easy to acquire them. Historically, pinback buttons were used for political campaigns and were an integral part of the Civil Rights Movement . However, activists continued to wear them as the Black Power Movement emerged for similar reasons.

Examples of buttons worn by Black Panthers included sayings such as, “Huey for Congress,” “Cleaver for President,” and “Free All Political Prisoners.” Other pinback buttons promoted a cause with slogans such as “Free Huey,” “Free Angela,” and “Free the Panther 21.” Many buttons also promoted the Black Panther Party organization directly. Examples include buttons with the face of Huey P. Newton, buttons with a picture of the black panther animal, and buttons with the organization’s slogans such as “All Power to the People.” As part of the Black Panther uniform, pinback buttons acted as a form of personal commitment, community engagement, political activism, and a way to connect with other members on similar causes.

Pinback button for the Black Panther Party, late 1960s.

Black Panther guard at Unitarian Church, San Rafael, California, No. 123, October 6, 1968. Photograph by Ruth-Marion Baruch.

Pinback button with a black panther on it, from the Million Man March 20th Anniversary, 2015.

The final addition to some Black Panther uniforms was a firearm. The firearm was the most iconic imagery of the Party seen in the media. However, Party members did not always carry firearms. The main purpose of carrying a firearm was to protect Black Panthers and their community from police brutality. Just as police over patrolled Black communities and harassed Black people, Black Panthers patrolled the police—while wearing their firearms—with the goal of changing the police’s behavior towards Black people.

When a police officer pulled over a Black person, Black Panthers stopped and observed from a safe distance away with their weapons visible, until the stop was over. In addition to observing the police while armed, they yelled out and asked the community member who was stopped by the police if they were being abused. Newton had an understanding of the law and therefore knew this tactic was legal and that Black Panther members were within their rights to do this.

Most importantly, carrying a firearm was a symbol of self-defense for Black Panthers in protecting their community from police violence. As a symbol of self-defense, Black Panthers did not strike against police first. They only responded with their weapons if they were struck upon. This was their way of embodying the animal that represented their organization: the black panther. The Black Panther Party adapted the black panther symbol from the Lowndes County Freedom Organization founded in 1965. The animal was the perfect fit for the organization because of the nature of the animal.

We use the Black Panther as our symbol because the nature of a panther. The panther doesn't strike anyone, but when he's assailed upon, he'll back up first. But, if the aggressor continues, then he'll strike out. Huey P. Newton

Poster featuring Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, ca. 1968-69.

Kathleen Cleaver at Home , 1968. Photograph by Alan Copeland.

Huey Newton, Black Panther Minister of Defense , 1968.  

Black Power

An extension of their uniform, Black Panthers held their fists in the air and chanted slogans: “Black Power” and “All Power to the People.” Stokely Carmichael, former Black Panther Party member and a well-known advocate of the Black Power Movement, introduced the slogan “Black Power” in 1966 during a speech at the Meredith March in Greenwood, Mississippi. The phrase emphasizes Black pride and Black self-determination as means to Black liberation.

Black Power is giving power to people who have not had power to determine their destiny. Huey P. Newton

Black Panthers from Sacramento, Free Huey Rally, Bobby Hutton Memorial Park, Oakland, CA, No. 62 , August 25, 1968. Photograph by Pirkle Jones.

The phrase “Black Power” continues to live on today and so does the legacy of the Black Panther uniform. The Black Panther uniform not only garnered attention and helped get the Black Panther message across, but it also influenced future generations. Examples of the influences of the Black Panther uniform can be seen in pop culture from the uniforms worn by the S1W , part of the hip-hop group Public Enemy, and by performers such as Beyoncé during her 2016 Super Bowl halftime show. The Black Panther uniform was pioneering for its emphasis on Black pride and Black people’s ability to create their own destiny without the need to conform. At the time, this was a modern idea for Black movements. This continues to be an impactful message to activists and present-day movements such as Black Lives Matter, inspiring them not to conform, but challenge the status quo to make revolutionary change just as the Black Panthers did.

View objects related to the Black Panther Party

Written by Nateya Taylor, Summer 2022 RFS Intern Published on September 16, 2022

Black Power . (2021, March 17). National Archives. https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/black-power

Burkett, E. (n.d.).  Women’s rights movement | definition, leaders, overview, history, & facts . Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/womens-movement

The Civil Rights Movement: A History through Buttons | Busy Beaver Button Museum . (2020, November 6). Button Museum. https://www.buttonmuseum.org/content/civil-rights-movement-history-through-buttons

Donaldson, T. (2021, February 1).  Dress and Protest: Fashion Hasn’t Been a Bystander in the Black Civil Rights Movement . Women’s Wear Daily. https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/protest-fashion-black-civil-rights-black-panthers-blm-1234715312/

Elgot, J. (2020, June 12).  Beyoncé unleashes Black Panthers homage at Super Bowl 50 . The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/feb/08/beyonce-black-panthers-homage-black-lives-matter-super-bowl-50

Newton, H. P., Anderson, H. C., & Newton, F. (2009).  Revolutionary Suicide: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)  (Reprint ed.). Penguin Classics.

O’Gara, D. (1994, June).  Voices of Color—Invisible Women: Sexism in the Black Panther Party . Freedom Socialist Party. https://socialism.com/fs-article/voices-of-color-invisible-women-sexism-in-the-black-panther-party/

Simeon, A., & Miller, N. (2022, March 30).  It’s Time to Learn the History Behind The Silk Press . Byrdie. https://www.byrdie.com/silk-press-history-5199277

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Black Panther Party Essay Examples

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Black Panther Party Essay

The Black Panther Party Imagine after decades of fighting for freedom and equality you are still being punished by the majority of society. The Black Panther Party was an influential activist group that throughout its time, and still today, is misunderstood by much of society. Both the Civil Rights movement and the Black Panther Party aimed to challenge racial discrimination and achieve greater equality for African Americans. Throughout American history, police brutality, as well as other factors, was very prominent and clearly targeted towards African Americans. It was a key factor that led to the formation of the Black Panther Party. The Black Panther Party that emerged during the 1960’s was characterized by black power and self defense, …show more content…

This can be shown through the police brutality activist, Malcom X, faced in his childhood. Despite living in the North, Malcom X endured a harsh childhood due to the police brutality his family was faced with. After moving into an all white neighborhood, their house was burned to ashes while they were sleeping. His father, not long after, was killed in a car accident believed to have been caused by the same white racists who burned down their house. To conclude, systemic racism, police brutality, and social inequality, since the end of Reconstruction, led to the beginning of the Black Panther …show more content…

A misconception about the Black Panther Party is that this group is violent which is not true for they implemented a lot of good. This includes having organized over 35 Survival Programs, providing community help such as education, providing transportation and ambulance assistance, manufacturing and distributing shoes and such to poor people, and more (Duncan). The Survival Programs they organized were often led by women which organized free breakfast for over 20,000 children each day, and free food programs for families and the elders (The Black Panther Party). As you can see, the Black Panther Party was a group heavily influenced by the works of Malcom X but much of their work aside from challenging police brutality is not widely known and recognized and/or

Stanley Nelson's Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The Revolution

So by keeping in view the basic purpose of developing BPP, I want to say that I am agreed with the approach of the BPP. The reason is that police brutality was very common issue for African-American during the era of 1960s. In this era of 1960s, African-Americans living in north cities of United States were facing the problems of economical and social inequalities. These social and economic inequalities give rise to high level of poverty, high rates of unemployment, poor health facilities, lack of proper facilities of education, increased rate of police brutality, and increased rate of violence related to racism for African-Americans. So that is why the approach of the Black Panther Party was to solve these solutions and protect the social and economic rights of the African-Americans.

Black Panther Party For Defense: Bobby Seale And Huey Newton

Black Panther Party For Defense Bobby Seale and Huey Newton created the “Black Panther Party For Defense” in Oakland, California in October 1966. They were a progressive political organization formed to fight for minorities and to establish socialism and community based programs for African-Americans and all racial or gender minorities. The Black Panther Party was the first organization in America to fight for ethnic minorities and working class emancipation and was a huge reason why America is as equal as we are today (Baggins).

The Black Panther Party By Bobby Sealey Newton

The Black panther party founded in October of 1966 by Bobby Seale and Huey Newton. The main purpose of this group was to fight white oppression after seeing many people suffer from police brutality. THey had chosen the name Black panthers because the black panther doesn’t strike first, “but if the aggressor strikes first, then he’ll attack.” the black panthers had a 10 point plan that had everything they wanted to change in society.

Black Panther Party Chapter Analysis

The Seattle branch of the Black Panther Party was one of the first chapters to be established outside of the original headquarters of California. Aaron Dixon, the founder of this branch, recounts his time as a panther in the book My People Are Rising. In this book, Dixon describes his experiences as having been a constant emotional roller coaster. One day everything would go according to plan, and the next the party would be under heavy attack. the Seattle Black Panther Party branch was one of the strongest, most well organized chapters within the party, and at one point in its existence, it was also one of the most dangerous chapters of the party, supporting Hoover’s statement of the Black Panthers being “the number one internal threat to the security of the United States.”

Revolutionary Action Movement Pros And Cons

(Heath 247) The Black Panther Party for Self Defense was very clear about taking Williams’s theory of Negros with guns and putting it to use in any situation that warranted violent self-defense. The Deacons of Defense along with the Revolutionary Action Movement were also influenced by Williams’s stand for violent self-defense.

Similarities Between Black Panthers And The Black Lives Matter Movement

Huey Newton’s Black Panther Party and the Black Lives Matter movement share similar goals, but are different in ways they set out to achieve those goals. The Black Panthers party's presence got so threatened that the FBI labeled the group ‘Public Enemy Number One,’ while in today’s Black Lives Matter movement are labeled as a terrorist group although there are little to no similarities or validity to the claim. While sharing similarities between the two groups, both were different in their movement’s goals, beliefs, and actions that they took. Huey Newton and Bobby Seale created the Black Panthers party in Oakland while Newton was just 24 years (Haiphong). The Black Panthers major goals were to demand the racial equality for the civil rights groups in their education, employment, an end to police brutality,and improved housing (Weise).

Black Panther Party Research Paper

In the event that the Black Panthers developed into a Marxist revolutionary group, many more people became involved in the party movement to end racial segregation, including women, exceeding up to 2,000 members operating in several major

Why Was The Black Panther Party Significant

Was the Black Panther Party Significant? Well that's a very interesting question but in order to answer that you have to go all the way back to the beginning. In 1966 Bobby Seal and Huey Newton founded The Black Panther for self defense. Bobby Seale after his time in the Air Force decided to attend Merritt College, while he was there he joined their “Afro- American Association which was a group that promoted black voices and activist and it is their were he met Huey P Newton.

Thee message of the black panthers was violent they preached for a war but consider themselves as an African American party they will speak up for those who are being shushed by the whites they would do anything to get what they want. (history) On the 28th of October Huey Newton was wounded and while at the hospital he was charged with killing a police officer. That following year he was found guilty of voluntary manslaughte, there was a large exchange of gunfire between the Black Panther Party and police. (spartacus) The Black Panthers were harassed by the police some of the members were involved in several shootouts.

The Black Panther Party, founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, was an organization built around the idea of finding equality for black Americans. They aimed to defend their rights and inform others about the discrimination against minorities. The BPP spent their whole lives battling racism. America underwent positive change as a result of the Black Panthers. They had progressive views, spoke up for community reforms, and spoke out against police brutality while challenging Politicians.

Compare And Contrast Malcolm X And Black Panthers

In contrary to peaceful protest and marches led by Martin Luther King there were other leaders who had more radical approaches to protest. Amongst these radical leaders are Malcolm X, Robert Williams, and the Black Panthers. The Black Panthers, a group created by in 1966, by Huey P Newton and Bobby Seale protected black communities patrolling areas with loaded firearms, monitoring police activities involving blacks. Since they were known for carrying loaded firearms FBI Director J Edgar Hoover considered the Black Panthers “the greatest threat to the internal security of the United States” (To Determine the Destiny of Our Black Community). The Black Panthers created the Ten-Point Program.

Compare And Contrast The Civil Rights Movement And The Black Power Movement

Imagine being discriminated against just because of the skin color you were born with. In addition to promoting more power for the people of color in society these strong people were pushing for equality among everyone. Often times today the Black Power movement is misjudged or looked down upon, but if you look at what they really stood for it was not black superiority

Malcolm X: The Rise Of The Black Panther Party

The Black Panther party, a very misunderstood but known civil rights party held a strong legacy. They achieved this through their actions such as their famous strategies, their demands from the ten point program, the numerous outreaches in media, their relationship towards authorities, and their effects towards the current generation. The Black Panther formed in 1966 by 6 men, very young at the time who were fed up with the white supremacy

The Black Panthers And The Civil Rights Movement

The Black Panthers were a Black Power group that wanted equality for everyone. The Black Panther Party for Self Defense helped shape the Civil Rights movement immensely. Who they were, what their core beliefs were, and how they shaped the Civil Rights movement, and America today will be covered. The Black Panthers were originally started by Bobby Seale and Huey Newton.

Ku Klux Klan Vs Black Panther Party

The need for blacks to have their own so called justice against prejudice in a nation they felt were not supporting them in becoming an equal part of a world which had struggled for the rights of blacks since slavery. The Black Panther Party for Self Defense were perceived as a militant organization unlike the Ku Klux Klan. Many of those in political power felt that the panther’s organization was the next uprising for blacks following Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X for civil rights. Huey Newton followed the approach of Malcom X in trying to achieve that all black were self-contained and become a working product of society.

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• Black Panther Party
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Essay on Black Panther Party

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Founded on October 15th 1966 in Oakland, California, the Black Panther Party for Self Defense was an organization opposed to police brutality against the black community. The Party’s political origins were in Maoism, Marxism, and the radical militant ideals of Malcolm X and Che Guevara. From the doctrines of Maoism they saw the role of their Party as the frontline of the revolution and worked to establish a unified alliance, while from Marxism they addressed the capitalist economic system, and exemplified the need for all workers to forcefully take over means of production (Baggins, Brian). Mao was important to the Black Panthers because of his different stance on Marxism-Leninism when applied to Chinese peasants. The founders of the Black …show more content…

In the mid-1960s, Newton attended Merritt College, where he met Bobby Seale. The two radical thinkers were ready to spread their message with a show of force. They began by making national news through protesting a gun bill on April 25th, 1967 by entering the California Legislature fully armed. Newton emerged as a leading figure in the black militant movement and The Panthers were instantly notorious. By the end of 1968 seventeen Panther chapters had opened across the country and thousands of members joined (Wasserman, Steve). Later that year Newton was arrested for allegedly killing an Oakland police officer, he was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to two to 15 years in prison. Growing support from across the nation of Black Panthers sparked a “Free Huey” movement which helped Newton’s cause. The case was eventually dismissed after two retrials ended with a hung jury. Newton was greeted by thousands who came to show support outside of the prison. By 1968, Bobby Seale was arrested while protesting at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago; he was tried for conspiracy to incite riots that resulted in him being sentenced to four years in prison. During Seale’s imprisonment, Fred Hampton, another crucial player, became the deputy chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party . Using his NAACP experience, he established a community service program which included the provision of free breakfasts

Booby Seale And Huey Newton Shaped The Civil Rights Movement

The black panther party formed by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale was a revolutionary power unlike any other group in the 60s. They formed a militant to protect the black community after witnessing countless racial attacks and prejudice. The group was famous for there anything go’s thinking including violence against police brutality which was common even after the civil act laws took effect. They also installed programs

Who Is The Oakland's Black Panther Party For Self-Defense?

The establishment of the Oakland’s Black Panther party for Self-Defense in October 1966 was the mark of an important breakthrough in Bay Area radicalism. Huey Newton and Bobby Seale founded the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. In Huey Newton’s autobiography, Revolutionary Suicide situated the origin of the Oakland Panthers inside the postwar history of flight, outcast, and internal migration of millions of African Americans: “The great exodus of poor people out of the South during World War II sprang from the hope for a better life in the big cities of the North and West. In search of freedom, they left behind in the centuries of southern cruelty and repression… The Black communities of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Newark, Brownville, Watts, Detroit

African-American Revolutionary Party

In the wake of the death of Malcolm X in 1965, that Merritt Junior Undergrads Huey P. Newton and Bobby

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Political activist and revolutionary, Huey Percy Newton, was born on February 17, 1942 in Monroe, Louisiana. In 1945, Newton’s Family moved to Oakland, California, in efforts to find new job opportunities. As a result of World War Two, the area around Oakland seen much industrial growth. However, racism in Oakland was no different than the racism in Louisiana. As a teenager in Oakland, Newton had a long history of trouble with the law and consistently struggled in school. Newton often found school difficult;later on stating in his autobiography, Revolutionary Suicide, that he was often “made to feel ashamed of being black.” As a result, Huey frequently got into trouble with school authorities and was suspended on numerous occasions.

The Black Panthers By Huey Newton And Bobby Seale

The Black Panthers is a group or a party of Aafrican Aamericans that was formed to protect blacks from the white law enforcements. The group was established in 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. The two leading revolutionary men created the national organization as a way to collectively combat white oppression. Dr Huey Percy Newton Born ( February 17 1942- August 22, 1989), Newton was born in Monroe, Louisiana. He was the youngest of seven children of Armelia Johnson and Walter Newton, a sharecropper and Baptist lay preacher. His parents named him after former Governor of Louisiana Huey Long. In 1945, the family migrated to oakland, california as part of the second wave of the

Anne Moody and the Black Panthers Essay

Because the Black Panthers felt society and government were withholding African-Americans from social progress, they took some matters into their own hands. They promoted more just

The Black Panther Party, By Huey Newton And Bobby Seale

The Black Panther Party was formed on October of 1966 in Oakland, California by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. The Panthers had a very important part in the civil rights movement. The Black Panthers favored aggression, violent self defense of minority communities against the U.S government. The Panthers saw that Martin Luther King’s non-violence was not successful. The party fought to engage in a political revolution for socialism by organized and community based programs. The party agenda was to promote political equality across gender and color. They were active in the United States from 1966 until 1982. The Black Panther Party patrol black neighborhoods to keep track of police activities and protect the residents from police brutality.

The Downfall of the Black Panther Party Essay

The Black Panther Party was the most influential revolutionary group during the Civil Rights movement era. The BPP became a very strong political power. It influenced many government decisions and attracted the mass media. Yet, due to a number of reasons the BPP eventually collapsed. The Black Panther Party came to its demise due to government operations against it, various mistakes by the Party itself, and by short comings by its own leaders.

Black Panther Party Pros And Cons

In Oakland, California in October of 1966 Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale what was known as the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. Newton and Seale were two African-American activists. It began as poor black people from the same community joining together and entwining in the same ideology. The Black Panther Party is considered the first organization in the history United States of America, to struggle militantly exert oneself for ethnic minority and working-class famishment. Bobby Hutton, seventeen years of age at the time was the first person to agglutinate himself as a Black Panther, aside Newton and Seale.

Compare And Contrast The Civil Rights Movement Of The 1950s And 1960s

The Black Panthers were formed in California in 1966 and they played a short but important part in the civil rights movement by gathering African Americans and uniting them together so they can fight for what they believe in. The Black Panthers believed that the non-violent campaign of Martin Luther King Had failed and any proposed changes to their lifestyle via the ‘traditional’ civil rights movement, would take too long to be implemented or simply not introduced. The two founders of the Black Panther Party were Huey Percy Newton and Bobby Seale. They preached for a “revolutionary war” but their party was believed to be African-American and they were willing to speak out for all those who were oppressed from whatever minority group. However, the Black Panthers were generally targeted by the FBI and they used dirty tactics such as forging letters to provoke conflict between the BPP’s leaders; organising the murders of BPP leaders initiating a “Black Propaganda” campaign to convince the public that the BPP was a threat to national security. “Carmichael is adamantly against allowing whites into the black liberation movement, explaining whites cannot relate to black experience and have an intimidating effect on blacks." Carmichael is a Black Panther. He did not want whites in the Party because he felt they

Police Brutality Papers

The Black Panther Party, originally named “Black Panther Party for Self-Defense”, is an African American revolutionary party (BBP Britannica). This party was founded in Oakland, California in 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. Their original

Is violence the answer? the black panther party Essay

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     Organized in the 1960s at the height of the American Civil Rights Movement, the Black Panther Party emerged as a revolutionist group pioneering a strategy of militancy. The Party’s aims were to eliminate the discrimination challenging African-Americans in America since the time of slavery, and to protect their communities from police brutality. Inspired by contemporary radical leaders such as Malcolm X, the party recognized that in order to restructure American society so that civil equality was obtainable by all people, a much stronger opposition was necessary. Party members felt the passive resistance adopted by their predecessors fighting for equality proved

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In his autobiography, Revolutionary Suicide Newton stated that, “Growing up in Oakland, he was made to feel ashamed of being black." This type of upbringing led Newton to an early life of crime. As an adolescent, Newton was arrested several times for minor offenses including gun possession and vandalism. All these charges occurred early at age 14. Also in his book Newton wrote that he began his law studies to become a better criminal. Huey P. Newton got involved in

The Black Panthers And The Civil Rights Movement

What comes to mind when you think of the Black Panther Party? Do you even know who the Black Panthers really were? They helped transform the lives of many African Americans in the U.S and helped empower the community. The Black Panther has a huge background of history, goals, and beliefs. Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale from Oakland, California founded the Panthers in 1966. Initially, they were an African American self defense force and were highly influenced by Malcolm X’s beliefs. The Panthers had many goals such as;freedom, protecting blacks from police brutality, and helping African Americans obtain a jobs. Despite the negative stereotypes of the Black Panthers as people who ran around with guns, fighting police, they were a major group during the Civil Rights Movement because they practiced self defense, established revolutionary socialism, and stimulated Malcolm X's influence. In the following I will discuss the successful changes the Black Panther Party, had on the African American community during the civil rights movement.

The Black Panther Party Essay

      There were many events in the Black Panther Party wither many people that did them. Here are some of them. In 1968 Bobby Seale was charged with inciting riots during a Democratic Party National Convention. While in prison Seale was also charged with the murder of Alex Rackley, a former police officer. The trial was held on May 25th, 1971, but left with a hung jury. The judge ordered all charges to be dropped. Stokely Carmichael was also important to the Panthers. Carmichael was arrested 35 times for his part in the civil rights movement, and eventually left the U.S. for an African country called Guinea. In 69’ Carmichael resigned from The Black Panthers. Huey Newton also had a big impact on the civil rights movement. On October 28th 1967 Huey P. Newton was charged with killing a cop while he was currently in the hospital suffering from a wound. A year went by and it was finally certain that Newton is guilty of involuntary manslaughter. When released Bobby Seale and Huey renounced political violence.

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• Huey P. Newton

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Illinois Black Panther Party Honored In New Exhibit Ahead Of DNC

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WEST LOOP — When the Democratic National Convention came to Chicago in 1968, the Illinois Black Panther Party was just beginning.

That August 56 years ago, Bobby Rush, Bob Brown and Fred Hampton came together to found the party’s Chicago chapter.

Now — ahead of another Democratic National Convention in the Windy City — the Epiphany Center for the Arts, 201 S. Ashland Ave., and the Historical Preservation Society of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party are honoring the Illinois chapter’s history of Black political struggle in a new exhibit.

“Preserving the Heritage of the Black Panther Party in Illinois” outlines the history, politics and programs of the Illinois Black Panther Party, which reckoned with racial injustice, police brutality and the woes of capitalism, said curator Leila Wills.

It’s also a testament to the Illinois chapter’s enduring legacy, she said.

“A lot of people don’t know the history of the Black Panther Party. It’s not taught in schools,” Wills said. “And even if it was, the Black Panther Party has been a victim of a smear campaign for 50 years.”

Wills, the daughter of two Illinois Black Panther Party members, said she hopes people “take their time and learn” about the Illinois chapter through photographs provided by the Chicago History Museum — from the party’s founding and community protests to FBI raids and the Rainbow Coalition, a group of the party that crossed racial lines during a polarizing time.

The exhibit opens with a reception 6-9 p.m. Wednesday at the Epiphany Center for the Arts, 201 S. Ashland Ave. It runs through Sept. 28.

RSVP for the opening night reception here .

Hosting the exhibit at Epiphany is especially significant because the former church was once a meeting place for the Illinois Black Panther Party. Officially known as the Church of the Epiphany, the Black Panthers referred to it as “The People’s Church,” Wills said.

It was designated a landmark for the Illinois Black Panther Party in December thanks to work by the Historical Preservation Society of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party, which Wills helped found in 2021 to preserve the Panthers’ history, she said.

“ It was already a landmark [from the mid-1990s] because of its beautiful architecture, but [Epiphany] is our first property where we added the Panthers’ history to the already listed property,” Wills said. “That’s our one and only actual [landmarked] location at this moment, so we have a special connection to the center. This exhibit is our first formal [event] that we’re having together.”

Rush, the former congressman and Illinois Black Panther Party co-founder, plans to attend Wednesday, he said.

He’s both humbled by and excited about this exhibit because it highlights the historical contributions of the Black Panther Party to the Black community, Chicago and the nation, he said.

“The history and legacy of the Black Panther Party is one of very serious dedication and commitment,” Rush said. “Having this to highlight some of the locations in which we operated from in the early and mid-’60s, I think that children of the future should know that this history is alive and well, even today.”

Rush has known Wills since she was born because of her family’s connections to the Illinois Black Panthers chapter, he said.

“I think Leila [Wills] has done an outstanding job recounting the history of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party,” Rush said.

After Hampton’s childhood home was at risk of foreclosure in 2020 and the community transformed it into a community center , Wills said she was inspired to work on the Historical Preservation Society of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party, she said.

“I started helping [Fred Hampton Jr.] with that effort, and that’s how it all kicked off,” Wills said. “I was just blown away by how extensive [the Black Panther Party’s] work was in Illinois. … And then, you know, it all clicked, just because of my parents. I contacted all of them, and a lot of them knew me from just the daycare, this Black Panther Party daycare. So that’s how it came together. … And it just grew from there.”

In 2023, the preservation society successfully added the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party to the National Register of Historic Places — despite not having its own office or location — after approval from the state and the National Park Service, Wills said.

It’s the first Black Panther Party chapter to be added to the register.

The preservation society is now developing a Black Panther Party Heritage Trail in Illinois, a project to mark and preserve the history of locations significant to the Illinois Black Panther Party, even ones that have been demolished.

This includes preparing physical markers to be placed at 13 sites so far — 12 in Chicago and one in Peoria. The historical markers are 12 inches tall and 18 inches wide, featuring traditional bronze plaques with information about the location, Wills said.

Find the full list of markers here . The first one will be unveiled Wednesday at the Epiphany Center for the Arts.

Rush hopes people who see the exhibit will learn about the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panthers “from a holistic point of view.”

“The Black Panther Party is not just a figment of contemporary media and government culture,” Rush said. “The Black Panther Party was real. The people in it were real, young people and people who sacrificed their lives … to the cause of freedom and justice and equality.”

More information about the exhibit is available on the Epiphany Center for the Arts website .

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Entertainment

Top 15 Black American artists throughout history

Famous Black artists have changed the landscape of modern and classic art, leaving their indelible mark on history.

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It is no secret that Black visual artists and painters in history have often been leaders of artistic innovation, and the 15 named below are but a few examples from a much longer list. These artists’ work tells compelling narratives, offers reflections on the Black experience, challenges societal norms, creates conversations around difficult topics like race and identity, advocates for justice and inspires countless viewers. 

Top 15 Black-American artists and their impact through history

Expand your knowledge of Black American history by learning about these 15 Black visual artists, their career highlights, and their most famous works. Their work spans multiple mediums, from photography and painting to sculpting and assemblage making, and each of them used their respective pieces to create dialogues and inspire change.

Jean-Michel Basquiat

Neo-Expressionist artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) began his career on the streets in the late 1970s, quickly attracting attention for the graffiti art he and Al Diaz made under the tag SAMO. In 1981, Basquiat’s first major exhibition in the P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center’s “New Work/New Wave” show transitioned him from street artist to gallery artist and, eventually, to central NYC art scene figure and famous Black artist.

Basquiat’s life and career were short — he tragically passed from a heroin overdose at 27 — but his legacy lives on. His paintings, which often dealt with themes of Black identity and social injustice, still resonate. 

Kara Walker

Cut-paper silhouettes depicting scenes of racial and gender-based violence make Kara Walker (born 1969) a controversial visual artist. But disapproval from others doesn’t make her back down. She continues creating art that forces viewers to confront the uncomfortable truths of American history and explore the nature of race representation.

In addition to cut-paper silhouettes, Walker works in different mediums. In 2014, she went viral for her first-ever large-scale public art piece, “A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar Baby.”

Faith Ringgold

Teacher, activist and multimedia artist Faith Ringgold (1930-2024) made her mark on American art through paintings, mixed media sculptures and “story quilts,” the latter of which she’s best known for. Ringgold’s story quilts combine quilting with paintings and text to tell stories and address race, gender and social justice issues.

“Tar Beach,” a story quilt made in 1988, is probably her most celebrated work. In 1991, it was adapted into a children’s book that earned the Harlem-born artist over 20 awards, including the Caldecott Honor. 

Kehinde Wiley

Los Angeles-born painter Kehinde Wiley (born 1977) is best known for painting former President Barack Obama’s official U.S. Presidential portrait in 2018 and his large-scale portraits depicting people of color in the traditional settings and poses of Old Master paintings.

Like his work with other mediums, his paintings use visual language to address race, identity and power issues. Because of his distinct style and subject matter, he’s a leading figure in contemporary art.

Kerry James Marshall

Kerry James Marshall’s (born 1955) upbringing near the  Black Panther Party  headquarters gave him a feeling of social responsibility that influenced his work, which addresses Black history and represents Black life and culture. His painting,”Past Times,” a scene of a Black family engaging in high-class leisure activities, sold for $21.1 million. This is the world record for the highest price paid for a work by a living Black artist.

Jacob Lawrence

Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) was not only the first Black artist to be represented by a major New York gallery, but he was also the first to have his work — the “Migration Series,” a collection of 60 paintings depicting the Great Migration of the early 20th century — acquired by the Museum of Modern Art.

Lawrence is one of the most important artists of his time, and with his work housed in collections around the globe, his legacy endures. 

Betye Saar (born 1926) is an assemblage art trailblazer and creator of a broad body of work exploring American social, political and economic issues, plus spirituality, mysticism and African traditions. The most famous of these is “The Liberation of Aunt Jemima.” The assemblage, created in 1972, was one of her first political pieces and transformed the stereotypical Aunt Jemima image into a symbol of Black empowerment and resistance.

Alma Thomas

Alma Thomas (1891-1978) did not produce her most famous works until retiring from a 35-year teaching career in the mid-1960s. But her late start didn’t deter her from success. She was the first Black woman to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art and to be featured in the White House Collection (her piece, “Resurrection,” was unveiled there in 2015).

Abstract art pioneer Thomas drew inspiration from Henri Matisse, Johannes Itten and her local peers to develop her signature style. 

Gordon Parks

Despite having no professional training, Gordon Parks (1912-2006) built a reputation as one of the most celebrated photographers of the 1940s-1970s. As the first Black photographer of “Life Magazine,” Parks created some of his most iconic work, including powerful photo essays documenting social injustices, poverty and the Civil Rights Movement.

His accolades span multiple disciplines, including writing and music composition. He even worked in cinema, directing “The Learning Tree” and “Shaft.” 

Elizabeth Catlett

Elizabeth Catlett (1915-2012) is a famous Black female artist with a knack for combining abstract and figurative styles, plus African and Mexican art traditions, to create sculptures and prints depicting the Black experience, homing in on Black women. The University of Iowa’s first Master of Fine Arts in sculpture student, Catlett’s notable works include her thesis pieces, “Mother and Child” and “The Black Woman Speaks.” Like the rest of her art, these works show her commitment to celebrating Black culture and identity, something she’s remembered for today. 

Henry Ossawa Tanner

The son of an African Methodist Episcopal bishop, Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937), let his upbringing influence his work by creating religious-themed paintings. These would make him the first Black artist to achieve international acclaim.

Before painting biblical scenes, Tanner’s work focused on portraying Black people in a gentle light, deviating from the common Black stereotypes of the time. One of his most well-known paintings is “The Banjo Lesson,” an image of an older Black man teaching a boy to play the banjo and one of Tanner’s most famous paintings.

Lorna Simpson 

Lorna Simpson (born 1960) solidified her position as a conceptual photography pioneer before finishing her MFA program. Her pieces, which often combine images and text, draw attention to and challenge views of social issues like race and gender. Additionally, they’ve earned her many awards and recognitions, including the International Center of Photography Infinity Award for Art in 2010, the J. Paul Getty Medal in 2019 and the honor of being the first Black woman to have a Museum of Modern Art solo exhibition.

Edmonia Lewis

Edmonia “Wildfire” Lewis (1844-1907) shattered glass ceilings in a white male-dominated industry when she became the  first African-American professional sculptor in the U.S.  and the first to achieve international accolades. Many of her works did not survive into the 21st century. However, those that did — “The Death of Cleopatra” and “Forever Free,” for example — are part of major museum collections.

Horace Pippin

An entirely self-taught artist and the grandchild of slaves, Horace Pippin (1888-1946) started his art career by experimenting with pyrography before moving to oil painting, the medium that would later bring him significant recognition and exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

Pippin’s folk paintings covered multiple topics, from portraits to biblical scenes. One of his most famous works is “The End of War: Starting Home,” a piece showing soldiers returning home from battle and reflecting on his personal wartime experience. 

Aaron Douglas

You can’t speak of the Harlem Renaissance without acknowledging Aaron Douglas (1899-1979), a painter and graphic designer who played a leading role in the artistic and literary movement. Often called the “Father of Black American Art, Douglas had a unique style that blended Egyptian motifs, Art Deco elements and geometric shapes.

More of Douglas’s career highlights include illustrating multiple publications — his images in James Weldon Johnson’s “God’s Trombone” and Paul Morand’s “Black Magic” are among his most famous — and founding Fisk University’s art department. 

Dive deeper into Black-American culture and history

By acknowledging some of the famous Black American artists — not to mention those that came before, during and after each — we honor their contributions to the arts, amplify their voices and remember how powerful a catalyst art can be in spurring expression and change. 

And, of course, when it comes to amplifying Black voices and celebrating Black excellence, there’s more than just famous artwork by Black artists to consider. There are athletes, scientists, authors, performers and activists who are pushing the boundaries, challenging societal norms and breaking barriers. The efforts of these famous Black American artists, creators and figures shape Black history and culture. 

Carve out some time to study those who impacted Black history and culture, starting with this list above. Then, find out who’s changing the culture nowadays and how by  staying in the know of Black news .

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