The Black Panther Party
It’s 1970. You are walking down the street, and all of a sudden they see a group of men holding weapons in their hands marching down the road. They have hats on and are holding flags while wearing all black. “Who are they?” you would probably ask. They are members of the Black Panther Party For Self Defense. They were one of the most prevalent groups during the civil rights movement. An equalist, violent, anti-racist group and political party that left a standing impact on the United States, and the world.
Origins Of The Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party was a political party and group that was formed in 1966 by two college students in Oakland, California by Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton. Bobby Seale was born in Texas, in 1936. In 1962, Seale heard Malcolm X, a minister who was well known for his prominence in the Civil Rights movement. This inspired Bobby to fight for his rights. Huey Newton was born in 1942 and graduated from high school as an illiterate. Both helped found the Black Panther Party in response to alleged police brutality and racism all across the nation. When the group was founded, it was originally called, “The Black Panther Party For Self Defense.” After thriving in the late 1960s, the group started to fade away during the 1970s, and by 1980 just had 27 members. They dissolved right after that. They stood for a multitude of things, such as anti-racism, Marxism-Leninism, anti-capitalism, and black pride. They were very violent and believed that they should fight fire, with fire, a complete polar opposite from Martin Luther King Jr, who believed peace could solve the problem of segregation.
Events Of The Black Panther Party
The Black Panthers had many big events. These include protests, shootings, traveling, and more. One memorable one was the visit to China. In 1970, after Newton was released from prison, he got an invitation from The People’s Republic Of China. Knowing that President Nixon was going soon, he decided to go as soon as possible. In September 1971, he went with two other Panthers, and at every Chinese airport he went to, people were holding up signs saying “We support the Black Panther Party, down with US imperialism” or “we support the American people but the Nixon imperialist regime must be overthrown.” The Chinese government arranged some meetings with ambassadors from North Korea, Tanzania, and North Vietnam. Another big event was the protest at the Lincoln Memorial. This happened on June 19, 1970, because it marked the day 105 years ago when the last slaves in Texas were freed. The goal of this convention was to rewrite the constitution so that equal rights would be given to people of oppressed groups, such as people of color, women, and younger people, and 1000 people attended.
Another big event in the Black Panthers' history was the murder of Fred Hampton. Hampton was a prominent member of the Black Panther Party, who supported Marxist-Leninist and socialist ideals. He was very high ranking in the party. “In 1967, Hampton was identified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as a radical threat. In December 1969, Hampton was drugged, shot and killed in his bed during a predawn raid at his Chicago apartment by a tactical unit of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in conjunction with the Chicago Police Department and the FBI.” — Wikipedia. The police officers were praised by the leadership for the “remarkable restraint”, “bravery”, and “professional discipline” in not killing all the Panthers present at the house of Fred Hampton.
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Impact Of The Black Panther Party
The Black Panthers might have dissolved almost 40 years ago, but they still have made a huge impact on our world today. “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. The Black Panther Party started a revolution against police brutality and racism, in general, that is still going on to this day. Many people now look up to the Black Panthers and see how much resilience and perseverance they showed to the people who told them no, inspiring so many.
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The BPP has been shown in pop culture as well. A movie that was released very recently (2021) called “Judas and the Black Messiah” was based on the story of Fred Hampton and the Black Panther Party. The lead actor, Daniel Kaluuya, won an Oscar for best supporting actor, and the movie got nominated for best picture.
The Black Panther Party will be something that will be in history books for years to come. Even though they were very violent, they will still be regarded as one of the most important groups in the whole civil rights movement. They started as just a little group that two college students made, but they grew to such a big size that they are now a common household name. “The Revolution has always been in the hands of the young. Always Inherit the revolution.” — Huey P Newton