The Black Panther party was founded in 1966 as first and primarily a self defense organization for the black population in segregated America. It represented a sharp turn in the movement for civil rights, as civil disobedience seemed to have run its course, and the activist African American population now sought a way to protect itself from police brutality and civilian vigilantism. A common misconception of the Black Panther party is that it was a terrorist organization, however this is far from true. In addition to providing free self defense lessons for black men and women, the organization provided breakfast for black grade schools, classes on economics and politics, and a medical clinic.
The Black Panther party was highly vilified in the 1960s media, because they were a socialist group that did not tolerate violence against “the black masses.” However, it was the socialist aspect of the party that truly terrified the American government, and J. Edgar Hoover, head of the FBI, once said “The Black Panther party is the internal threat to greatest security of the United States.” After the communist witch hunting during the the 1950s and the paranoia of communist infiltrations, the fear and hatred for the Black Panther party is, at one level, understandable, but perhaps not justified. While the party did call for social programs such as free health care, did party did not ask for a communist/socialist overthrow of government. The desires of the party were voiced in the 10 Point Plan:
1) "Freedom; the power to determine the destiny of the Black and oppressed communities.
2) Full Employment; give every person employment or guaranteed income.
3) End to robbery of Black communities; the overdue debt of forty acres and two mules as promised to ex-slaves during the reconstruction period following the emancipation of slavery.
4) Decent housing fit for the shelter of human beings; the land should be made into cooperatives so that the people can build.
5) Education for the people; that teaches the true history of Blacks and their role in present day society.
6) Free health care; health facilities which will develop preventive medical programs.
7) End to police brutality and murder of Black people and other people of color and oppressed people.
8) End to all wars of aggression; the various conflicts which exist stem directly from the United States ruling circle.
9) Freedom for all political prisoners; trials by juries that represent our peers.
10) Land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice, peace and community control of modern industry."
10) Land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice, peace and community control of modern industry."
The violent reputation of the Black Panther party is not completely unfounded. The Party was involved in several murders, mostly of its members who were accused of being police informants. This included the murder of 19-year-old Alex Rackley, who was tortured and killed under orders from leaders Bobby Seale and Huey Newton. While this type of violence cannot be justified, context is important. The Party was undisputably targeted by the American government, as demonstrated in 1969, when the Chicago Police raided the home of the Black Panther, Fred Hampton, without a warrant and in conjunction with the FBI. Hampton and another Panther was shot and killed by the police in his home; the policemen would not be charged. Raids like this one would only fuel the anger and resentment felt by the Black Panthers, as well as amplify the fear of infiltration felt within the party.
The Black Panther Party for Self Defense has undoubtedly been painted as a “militant supremacist group” in history. (Please note the difference between this party and the New Black Panther Party founded in 1989.) Because the party did not avoid voicing its anger about the violent crimes committed against the black community, many white proponents of the Civil Rights Movement allied with more moderate activists, the obvious being Martin Luther King Jr.
However, many Black Panthers did not deny that they were proponents of black power. So what is the difference between the Black Panther Party, and white power groups such as the Ku Klux Klan? Isn’t black power racist against white people?
No. The Black Panther Party for Self Defense was founded in order to help black men and women fight economic, political, and social oppression. The Black Panther Party did not promote outright violence against white people, while the Ku Klux Klan actively sought victims to torture and murder. The Panthers were fighting a system of oppression, while the Ku Klux Klan were simply promoting this same system. The Black Panther Party was never a major threat to the rights, liberties or well beings of any Americans. The same cannot be said for the Ku Klux Klan.
Sources:
http://www.blackpanther.org
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/68134/Black-Panther-Party
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/black_panthers.htm
Great post. The distinction between "Black Power" and "White Power" is a key issue here, especially during the Civil Rights Movement when people were threatened by the idea of African Americans getting power. It seems to be that this side of the Civil Rights Movement is mentioned less/painted in a bad light because they felt threatened by it.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was interesting how you really went into the difference between why the Black Panther Party of Self Defense and the Ku Klux Klan were founded. Where the KKK focuses on outright violence and attacks, the Black Panther Party would only go to violence if they were directly attacked. I still wonder why the Black Panther Party is looked at as a negative group when they were just trying to defend themselves. I also don't think it is right to compare them to the KKK, becuase the KKK was an illegal cult that murdered blacks, but the Black Panther Party was just sticking up for themselves.
ReplyDeleteNice post! I think a big reason why people think that the Black Panther Party was a violent group was the prejudice of that time. With such a big group, it was probably not uncommon during that time to try to downplay and criticize it, leading the majority of the public, mainly whites, to view the group as a dangerous group advocating for "Black Power". But in reality, it was just another group with members of a certain ethnicity simply fighting for civil rights while being denounced by people of a different ethnicity. Even today, the majority of the people still probably believe and are taught that the Black Panthers was some terrorist group, leading us to question if prejudice is still present in history today.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! The Black Panther movement turned into a negative counterculture due to the group's notoriety for violence. It's interesting to see that the Black Panthers actively pursue violence and also use violence as a means of retaliation to the violence imposed on what they are fighting for.
ReplyDeleteJoanne the point of this post was to describe how actually the Black Panthers did not actively seek violence.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really great post! It reminded me off an opportunity I had last summer, while in Tanzania, to visit Pete O'Neal, who used to be the leader of the Kansas chapter of the Black Panther Party. It was really interesting to visit him and his wife, who had fled the country in the early 70s. We watched a documentary about him, and had the chance to talk to them about their experiences, and the center that they have started near Arusha. They are doing a lot of great things there, which just goes to show that although the Black Panthers may seem like a radical and dangerous group, they were really just people who were trying to do all they could to fix their situation.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post Mehr. I think you drew a very important distinction between the Black Panther Party and the Ku Klux Klan. Going off of Oliver's comment, I think the way that this party is portrayed is a comment on how history is told in general. History is written by the victors, who also normally happen to be the majority group in society. Thus often times, the history of minorities can be corrupted and full of misconceptions. Awareness and further research is important to dispel many of these misconceptions, and make sure that the history of minorities is told accurately.
ReplyDeleteThis post is very interesting. I had always associated the Black Panther movement with violence and low key terrorism due to movies like Forest Gump. Because of this post I see the movement in a whole different light.
ReplyDeleteGreat research and post, Mehr. This really shows how the idea of "black power" has been given a negative connotation, but really all it means is black social, economic, and political empowerment. A distinction must be made between white supremacists, such as the KKK, and the Black Panther party, which was attempting to simply gain rights and social structure for black people. This post does a wonderful job making that distinction.
ReplyDeleteVery detailed and knowledgeable post! I've also viewed the Blank Panthers as a violent "Black Power" racist group that was antiquated in modern times, just like the KKK. However, even though I still don't agree with some of their methods, such as voter intimidation during the 2008 and 2012 elections in Florida, I see that they aren't so terrifying after all.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the distinction between the Black Panther Party and the KKK you drew here. I have always viewed black power as a sort of culture "isolationism", but this not only gives me a new perspective on the issue, but also immediately discounts any stereotypes I may have first jumped to.
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