Founded on October 15th in 1966 by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland, California, the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense sought out to create a movement for the purpose of empowering black people across the country. With their core principles relying upon the strong principles of self-defense and respecting those of all races who supported the equality of black people and all humans as a whole. Although they were hoping for equality, they sought more impactful measures. For starters, they led a march to the state capital in Sacramento fully armed to protest against the Mulford Act.
Within three years of the founding of the group, the Black Panther Party had already amassed over 2,000 members and eventually grow to have international presence in Japan, China, Uruguay, Zimbabwe, and others. However, when the United States feels a threat and pressure to change, they call it communist. That's exactly what the FBI did. They used violent tactics to combat the Black Panthers and even shot and killed the leader of the Chicago chapter, Fred Hampton, in a shootout.
For as much as the Black Panther Party did for two decades, much of their power was obliterated by the FBI and their COINTELPRO operations. And as the times went on, things didn't seem to get any better for the party. One of the co-founders, Huey Newton, was killed in 1989 over a drug dispute nearby the first chapter of the party itself, effectively ending any sort of hope that the current r party had of returning to national prominence after they dissolved in 1982.
After the Black Panther Party effectively ended, the New Black Panther Party took a much more nationalist and militant agenda, completely opposing the policy that was instated originally back in 1965. Regardless of the steps that have been taken with this party, we should never forget about how much the Black Panther Party influenced this country. Through their displays of strength to showcase the true meaning of black power, they were able to profoundly shift how we today see the growth of what we see today as the powerful party that changed a generation of black Americans.
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Black-Panther-Party
http://www.history.com/topics/black-panthers
Thanks for the elaboration on the Black Panther Party, Noah! For those who don't know what the Mulford Act was, it was a California bill prohibiting the open carrying of firearms. The law was passed specifically in response to the Black Panthers' armed neighborhood patrolling in 1960s Oakland. The Bill is named after Don Mulford, a white California assemblyman from Oakland. The bill was signed by California governor Ronald Reagan.
ReplyDeleteSource: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulford_Act
Really interesting insight into one of the many groups for social change during the time! Did you know that the Black Panther Party celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2016? While an exciting monument, they took the opportunity to explain how there are still 16 members behind bars! The Hoover administration can be accredited with the majority or these arrests, as his continual and ruthless work with the FBI classified the black panthers as the "greatest threat to internal security of the country." Most members were given life sentences for what could now be argued as self defense. Some have been given appeals, but many still remain imprisoned, without any form of justice
ReplyDeletehttps://www.colorlines.com/articles/16-black-panthers-still-behind-bars