Prior to us watching the film The Black Panther, I find it useful for us to understand what a “Black Panther” is and the history of the Black Panther Party. The Black Panther Party was founded in 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. The political organization’s main purpose was to challenge police brutality against the African American community. The Black Panthers were a group of 2,000 African American individuals who dressed in black hats and leather jackets and organized armed citizen patrols in Oakland, California (The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration).
The founders of the party valued Marxist ideologies and used a Ten-Point program to organize the views and policies of the party. According to the Ten-Point program, there will be an end to police brutality, increased employment for African Americans, and property, housing, and justice for all (Basgen, 2002). The Black Panther Party fueled an even larger Black Power movement of unification, civil rights, and support for the African American community. The party also focused on survival programs in African American communities, such as free meals and healthcare, with the thought of women and children in mind. They also supported schools, legal aid offices, clothing distribution, and transportation in these communities (Smithsonian).
Although the party was successful in areas of social reform, there are many controversies and violence that the party is also responsible for. There are multiple accounts of violence with law enforcement and internal violence amongst members. This including the shooting of Officer John Frey and the murders of members Alex Rackley and Betty Van Patter (History.com). The party was also a target of FBI counterintelligence program COINTELPRO. The party was viewed as a communist group and the director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, claimed that it was “one of the greatest threats to the nation’s internal security” (History.com). The FBI ended the party in 1982.
Although the actions of the party led to violence and threatened national security, the Black Panther Party’s values and underlying motives have inspired activism in the Black Lives Matter movement, empowerment of women, and justice for the African American community. The Black Panther Party’s effect on social reform is still present in our society and have created a revised platform for our generation to follow in areas of civil rights, equality, anti-black racism, and police brutality.
Sources:
Basgen, Brian. Black Panther Party, www.marxists.org/history/usa/workers/black-panthers/.
“The Black Panther Party.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/black-power/black-panthers.
“The Black Panther Party: Challenging Police and Promoting Social Change.” National Museum of African American History and Culture, 23 Aug. 2020, nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/black-panther-party-challenging-police-and-promoting-social-change.
Chow, Andrew R. “The Black Panther Party’s Impact on Modern Day Activism.” Time, Time, 12 Feb. 2021, time.com/5938058/black-panthers-activism/.
History.com Editors. “Black Panthers.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 3 Nov. 2017, www.history.com/topics/civil-rights-movement/black-panthers.
Even though I have heard of the Black Panthers, I’ve never actually learned about their values or their way of going about reform in depth. The only thing in High school that I learned about was the King vs Panther comparison, which basically just boiled down to King being peaceful and Panther being violent. While this comparison can hold true in certain circumstances, there is obviously a deeper meaning as shown in your post and I think it’s really interesting how you detailed the intricacies of this group and detailed their multiple motives.
I think that highlighting who the Black Panthers were and how they operated did a lot for this weeks reading. Most people don’t know what a black panther was or how they believed. By showing what they believed, we are better able to explain some of the events in the story since the Panthers were not a typically civil rights group. I also, agree that there is a nonviolent aspect of the Panthers that is present in the actions of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Hi! I really enjoyed reading your post. I have definitely heard of the Black Panthers, but you really furthered my understanding on the topic and all that they stood for. I never learned about them in depth in school or anything so this was very informative. You hear a lot about them today and hear them being compared to the Black Lives Matter movement as said above.
Hi Lindsay great post! I think that understanding what the Black Panther party was, and what they stood for, is important to understand. I found it interesting that the party was founded in Oakland, California as this is also where Killmonger’s father is killed and where Killmonger grows up. It is sad that the injustices that they were attempting to fix are still prevalent today nearly 60 years after their founding.
This is incredible work, I never knew that there was a group back in the day that was called the Black Panther that connected to the movie from 2018. It just shows a deeper connection when it comes to both places because it can really present a lot to the whole aspect of what the movie is trying to demonstrate to the views and the actions that were done in the mid-nineteen hundreds. Even though there was violence it was during an era where new things were scary for people because of the transition to a new era; through this, it would go through every aspect of society and played a role directional play.
Thank you for this excellent and informative post! I’ve heard of the Black Panther party before, but I really appreciated all of the insightful information you presented about their members, values, and history. It is interesting that the party seems to be mentioned only in passing in many history courses, even though the values they stood for are still important today and reflected in movements such as Black Lives Matter.
Great presentation! I do not remember focusing on learning about the Black Panthers in high school, so this was very interesting to read, especially having this knowledge watching the movie. I see many connections between the movie and the actual group.