Historical Spotlight: The Black Panther Party
During the 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement was heating up and many different organizations were formed to fight for and advance the rights of Black Americans. Ideals ranged from nonviolent protests to more direct methods of confrontation. Almost all of the organizations that were designed for change were infiltrated, undermined, and outright targeted by the government, which ultimately stalled forward progress. Join me as we shine a Historical Spotlight on the Black Panther Party, one of the most well-known revolutionary organizations of its time.
The Black Panther Party was founded in October 1966 in Oakland, California by Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton. The pair were in college and wanted to fight back against the oppression and police brutality they frequently witnessed in Black neighborhoods. The party was focused on Black empowerment and utilized tactics of social programs and armed self-defense to ensure Black communities knew how to properly protect themselves against danger.
They quickly gained notoriety from their open carry patrols called “copwatching” as they worked to fight against the excessive force used by the Oakland Police Department. During those times, Black communities faced high unemployment, poor housing conditions, and were excluded from political representation. They were often targeted for crimes and many residents were brutally assaulted by white police since racism still clung to cities in the North and West that hadn’t been fully integrated yet.
Some of the young Black people at the time couldn’t relate to the nonviolent protests that worked in the South and instead leaned into Black Power as a way to get an economic and political foothold in society. Some of the early foundational work for the party was inspired by Malcolm X and others who focused on Black nationalism. The Black Panther was used for the logo as a nod to Stokely Carmichael’s work organizing the Lowndes County Freedom Organization in Alabama.
Huey studied the gun laws in California extensively to understand clear guidelines for their open-carry patrols. They even responded to unjust killings of Black people by police and held rallies to educate communities about self-defense. While fighting for their right to just exist peacefully, they were often accused of being hostile and violent.
The Black Panthers weren’t just about carrying weapons though and developed community resources that benefited residents from children to the elderly and everyone in between. The Ten-Point Program was developed on May 15, 1967 as a response to the Mulford Act, which prohibited open carry of loaded firearms without a permit. The demands included freedom, full employment, decent housing, education, exemption from military service, justice, peace, an immediate end to police brutality and murder, and other liberties that should have been guaranteed at birth.
They also developed the Free Breakfast for Children program that is still modeled today. It was widely successful and helped provide kids not only with a hot meal, but also Black history and liberation lessons at the same time. It’s estimated that they fed 20,000 children in just one school year. The breakfast program shed light on the federal government’s failure to address child poverty and hunger despite the claims made for the War on Poverty.
The party took educating the youth very seriously and established after-school programs and Liberation Schools that focused on Black history, writing skills, and political science. In their fight for sufficient education for the community, they provided alternatives to low-scoring predominantly white schools that didn’t adequately support, educate, or challenge Black kids. The Liberation Schools challenged Eurocentric assimilationist curriculum while also instilling revolutionary consciousness in students that could help them fight institutional racism.
Other survival programs the Panthers developed were free services like clothing distribution, classes on politics and economics, free medical clinics, lessons on self-defense and first aid, transportation for family members of inmates, an emergency-response ambulance program, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, and testing for sickle-cell disease. The medical clinics provided a very significant example for how free healthcare could work and the program was eventually established in 13 places across the country.
As their influence spread, so did their prominence. The party had chapters in many cities across the nation and even had a few international chapters. It’s estimated that at the peak, there were almost 5,000 members and their newspaper had a circulation of 250,000. Their slogans, messaging, and symbols spread like wildfire and the black power salute was even displayed for the American national anthem during the 1968 Summer Olympics.
Unfortunately, the party often had fatal run-in’s with police, one of which led to Huey being arrested and convicted of voluntary manslaughter on October 28, 1967. The “Free Huey!” campaign, which gave the Panthers even more recognition and growth across the country, lasted until he was released after three years when his conviction was overturned. The campaign focused on antiwar sentiments and Black oppression.
Just like other prominent civil rights organizations and figures like the SNCC, SCLC, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and others, the Black Panther Party was targeted by the FBI’s COINTELRPO program. They were harassed, sabotaged, and criminalized after being described as “the greatest threat to the internal security of the country” by J. Edgar Hoover in 1969. The group was also accused of being communists.
Incriminating and anonymous letters were sent to exacerbate tensions amongst other groups, leading to rivalries that distracted the Panthers from their goals. Their breakfast program was also hit by COINTELPRO after the FBI claimed it was a means of indoctrination.
This hypersurveillance ultimately led to the organization getting infiltrated by police informants and a lot of their positive goals got undermined by detractors. There was also a lot of infighting towards the end that was a direct result of government interference and support wavered after the mainstream press vilified the organization based on alleged criminal activities.
Leadership transitioned and membership fell off over time before the party officially disbanded in 1982, but its legacy remains untarnished today. The organization is still a role model for members in the community who wish to empower Black people through action and not just symbolic hope. Their programs helped people in need all while being infiltrated and sabotaged by the FBI.
The core messaging of the Black Panther Party can still be applied to today’s society. We’re still fighting for equality and change that was outlined in the Ten Point Program published decades ago. We’re also still trying to protect our community against police brutality and violence. The Black Panthers provided tangible help, education, and resources for communities and will always be remembered as one of the most effective Black revolutionary organizations in the 20th century.
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Signed,
Jessica Marie
