This month saw the 50th anniversary of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. Founded in Oakland, California, by Bobby Seale and Huey Newton in October of 1966, the organization was one critical part of one the most dynamic social movements in the history of the United States. Popular lore, misconceptions, as well as outright lies and smears permeate the Panthers’ history. Jacobin Magazine, in remembering the BPP on its 50th anniversary, has put together a quick primer of some basic points everyone needs to know:
The Panther did not develop in a vacuum. They were part of the organizational tradition of Black protest like the African Blood Brotherhood and the National Negro Congress, two groups that sought to merge the distinct ideologies of Black nationalism and socialism. [...]
Fighting police brutality is what the BPP was known for early on. With arms if necessary. Armed self-defense against white racism was known throughout the Southern United States and was also a part of the Civil Rights Movement. The open carry of weapons along with California law books, marked the Party’s early days. [...]
Women were an integral part of the Black Panther Party. Most the leadership of the BPP that immediately comes to mind is male. For every woman who was known to the public—Kathleen Cleaver, Joan Tarika Lewis, Erica Huggins, Elaine Brown, Afeni Shakur—there were scores more who kept the BPP a well-oiled machine day after day.
The Panthers’ Free Breakfast for Children program was widely known, both in its heyday and via history. What is not as well known as that the BPP had dozens of social programs, created to help the populace “survive pending revolution.” Free sickle cell anemia testing, a free ambulance program, free clothing and shoe drives, free transportation for prison visitation, free dental, free furniture, and many, many more.
In addition to creating a “rainbow coalition” of blacks, whites, Puerto Ricans and other disaffected groups, the Panthers stood in militant solidarity with the anti-war movement and against U.S. imperialism across the globe.
No wonder the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover called the BPP the most dangerous threat to the internal security of the United States. Hoover’s FBI treated the BPP in that exact manner; the majority of the bureau’s disruptive and illegal CounterIntelligence Program (COINTELPRO) activities were directed at the BPP, an above-ground organization engaged in legal and (supposed to have been) constitutionally protected political activities.
The legacy of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense lives on today through the appearance of the Black Lives Matter movement and network. The struggle for greater police scrutiny, accountability and transparency has been given new life by this movement. And, in the tradition of the Panthers, the Black Lives Matter movement has promoted and practiced solidarity with other pressing struggles such as Palestine and the water defenders of Standing Rock in North Dakota.