Black Panthers Party
They were a revolutionary, Black nationalist
organization in the United states founded by Bobby
Seale, Huey P. Newton and Richard Akoi.
Influenced by the teachings of Malcolm X
and the Black Power Movement, the BPP, originally
called the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense,
called for the restructuring of American society to
achieve social, political, and economic equality,
based on principles of socialism.
Who started it?
Bobby Seale was a
Chairman and co-
founder of the Black
Panther Party who is
now a council man.
Other members
Left to Right: Bobby
Seale, Stokeley
Carmicle, Rap Brown,
James Fooman at
February 1968 Free
Huey Birthday Ralley
One of The Black Panthers Hideouts
Grove Street Black
Panther Party Office,
shot up by Oakland
Police, following Huey
Newton's lesser third
degree murder
conviction, October
1968.
The party platform consisted often
points ("We want..."):
1. Freedom and Self-determination
2. Full employment for all Black people
3. Restitution for slave labor and mass murder of Black people
4. Decent housing
5. Education to give Black people knowledge of self and expose the
true history of American society
6. Exemption from military service for all Black men who should not
be forced to defend a racist government
7. An immediate end to police brutality
8. Release from prison for all Black people because they have not
received a fair and impartial trial
9. All Black people who are brought to trial to be tried by a jury of
their peers from the Black community
l0. Land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice and peace. As
a major political objective, a United Nations supervised plebiscite for
Black Americans to determine their will as to their national destiny.
They Used Violence Too
The Black Panthers espoused the concept that Black people had a right to
defend themselves against racist authorities by any necessary means,
including violence. While this philosophy made them an alternative to more
moderate civil rights groups of the time, it also put them constantly at odds
with local police and the FBI. The Panthers initiated patrols in Black
communities with the object of monitoring police activities and protecting
people against police brutality. They also formed affiliations with some
white activists because they believed that all revolutionary groups with
similar goals of reforming American Society should unite. The FBI launched
a team called COINTELPRO to prevent Black militant groups from uniting
and growing in influence. BPP local chapters were infiltrated by informants
and their offices were subject to frequent raids. Panthers and police
confronted each other in several shoot-outs in California, New York and
Chicago.
Panthers Fred Hampton (Illinois State Leader) and Mark Clark were killed
by police during a raid, and in 1967 Minister of Defense Huey Newton was
sent to prison for manslaughter after a shootout in Oakland that left a
policeman dead. His incarceration spurred a "Free Huey" movement and in
1971 a California Court of Appeals reversed his conviction.
To Put it
All Together
The Black Panthers wanted equal rights
for their fellow African – Americans but
used violence and many people were
killed.
The End
Racial Justice
Everybody goes through some kind of
racial experience because of their skin
color, the way they look, or even the way
they talk. Being racist means disliking
somebody because of their skin color or
their nationality. We should care about
everybody regardless of their race!