A Brief History On The Black Panthers

Black Panther Party

It’s The 4th of July right? So let’s celebrate true American Heros. There’s a lot of misinformation about the Black Panther Party. Here are a few brief facts about the Powerful and Notorious Group. 

Origin

Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was the original name of the group. The Panthers were founded in Oakland, 1966 and active in the United States and other countries such as Algeria and the United Kingdom until 1982. The Black Panthers initially started as a political organization by Marxist college students, Bobby Seale and Huey Newton. The panthers wrote a 10 point plan with demands for land, employment, education, housing, and freedom from the oppressor. 

The main motivation for the group was to become practiced in open-carrying and protecting their neighborhoods from police brutality. They also created a safe-haven for black people to freely express themselves and speak openly with no chastisement. The panthers took much pride in black beauty and wellness which helped gain more members

In later years, they started community programs which included: education courses, free breakfast programs for children, and health clinics with treatment for diseases.

There was also a Black Panther newspaper which helped sustain the party and publish incredible artwork. The paper had their 10 point plan included and helped get the word out to black people in different cities. 

Controversy

But with every great organization, there was controversy. Many Panthers were involved in shoot-outs with police as well as physical altercations. The group were not ones to attack first, but would never hesitate to fight back and plot against the enemy when times would call for it. 

Newton “allegedly” killed an officer in 67’ and the following year, Cleaver led an ambush on Oakland police officers. This gave the group and its members a “bad name” and took away from the great works and values they originally started with. 

Now with blemishes on their name, FBI director J. Edgar Hoover made it a point to discredit and dismantle the group in its entirety. Hoover told the American nation that the panthers were terrorists and “the greatest threat to the internal security of the country. “

For years the FBI in cahoots with local police would harass and try and infiltrate the panthers and cause internal conflict.  This resulted in the assassinations of Panther leaders, Fred Hampton and Mark Clark. 

The panthers anti-image became popular among Black communities across America in the 70s and created a sense of unity. By the end of the decade the group started to decline. They were constantly accused of using and selling drugs and extorting the neighborhoods they were made to protect. People began to distance themselves.

Many of the original Black Panther leaders have either died or have been sent to jail. However the legacy and the roots that they have planted continue to shine 55 years later.

Khalyl Gabriel | IG | Twitter @khalylgabriel @khalylgabriel95

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