Abstract
The Black Panther Partywas an American black revolutionary movement formed in 1966 in Oakland, California. Its founders were Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. The group was originally named Black Panther Party for Self-Defense.The Black Panther Party patrolled black ghettoes with loaded firearms and protected its residents from police harassment and brutality.The group, later, evolved into a revolutionary group pressing for black Americans equality andnon-exploitative environment.In 1967, the Party gained a reputation through its large membership reaching up to 2000 members. Like in a collective identity, the group was a forum through which they could articulate their needs. The party had engaged in persistent gun battles with the police for the humiliation of black Americans.The Black Panther movement can be related with the Gupta’s ‘Understanding terrorism and political violence’ where there are political violence accompanied by terrorist attacks. In late 1970’s, the party had lost a lot of members through gun fights with the police. As a result, it changed from violent means into conformist politics providing social services to the black Americans. The group was later disbanded in 1980’s.
History of the Black Panther Party
The Black Panther party is renowned as the largest black revolutionary group that existed in the history of the United States. Formed in 1966, the group was famous for its notoriety in battling with the police in protest of black Americans brutality from the police. The group membership increased rapidly to almost 5,000 members in 1966 throughout 1967. The group gormed an identity through which black Americans could defend their freedom.In an effort to reduce individual oppression and government imperialism in the United States, the Black Panther movement recruited a large number of people from all states. The party was used as a means to end American oppression by the police and the existing imperialism through self-defense.During the Black Panther era, there were myriad civil-rights groups’ peaceful protests. The emergence of the movement came as a result of the failed response of the peaceful demonstrations addressing social issues in America. For instance, civil-right groups protested for better living standards, and poverty faced by black Americans living in the cities.It was during this period that the blacks faced segregation in political and economic representation in the country. Access to white colleges and universities, misrepresentation in political positions, and police brutality were some of the issues addressed during the protests.
Similarities with "Understanding Terrorism and Political Violence"
The Black Panther Party activities with the aim of achieving equality with the white in America relate to Gupta’s writing ‘Understanding Terrorism and PoliticalViolence’in myriad ways. For instance, Gupta objects the inclusion of arbitrary aspect of individuals’ preference structure. He suggests that inclusion of an individual in a group is relatively the same as self-utility. Gupta postulates that the urge to associate with a particular group has been in the past from the evolutionary period of human kind. Gupta observes the efficiency of analyzing private goods in a uni-dimensional aspect. By contrast, it is impossible to understand the understanding of a public good preference without indulging in group and collective identity perceptions. In the evolutionary process of animals, some form groups and stay together. Otherwise, they form outsiders. On this front, the outsiders become the prey.
Reasons for its growth
The rise and growth of the Black Panther movement were attributed to oppression and segregation faced by the black Americans. The movement drew supporters from cities in the United States with the aim of protecting their rights and freedom. Young black Americans were ready to battle in the street with the police armed with loaded guns. The government responded to the party’s actions through passing a bill to ban the possession of guns by the public. In response, the movement changed its tactics of addressing their issues from violent ways to myriad social development programs. For instance, the Black Panther Party engaged in free breakfast programs, free clothing, and provision of other social services to the needy black Americans.
The Party gained support from other movements around the world such as the Brown Berets, the American Indian Movement (AIM), the Chinese Voice Party (CVP), and the White Panther Party among others. The aforementioned parties facilitated the growth of the Black Panther Party through the provision of necessary support. In 1967, the government and the local police agencies engaged the Black Panther Party in a tough war in ending its activities. The police ran battles in the street by members of the movement where thousands were murdered during an exchange of firearms. The same year, Huey Newton was arrested and imprisoned for the murder of an Oakland police officer. By contrast, Huey Newton claimed that it was a false accusation leading to a massive protest for his freedom. Members of the movement together with theparty officials addressed the public for the release of Huey Newton otherwise a massive demonstration and torching of 30 police stations.Some of the Black Panther leaders were killed during an exchange of firewith the police in protest of the police brutality.
In 1968, Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated,followed by the death of Bobby Hutton in an exchange of fire with the police. Following the death of Bobby Hutton, a massive rally was held in New York addressing the killing of the party leaders and followers. In 1968, the party changed its name to the Black Panther Party and focused mainly on political issues. The group members were allowed to carry guns in order to protect themselves from police violence and brutality. A lot of college students joined the group with various objectives leading to tension within the group. For instance, some group members were solely interested in running battles in the street with the police while the other group was in support of the social programs. The Black Panther movement had attracted various political activists and some celebrities including Jean Genet, and Charles Garry. Some of the group’s needs included housing, civil rights, equal employment opportunities, and access to better education among others. The group had a set of objectives which ensured the group remained on its course in pressing for their rights.
Women'srole in the party
The Black Panther Party was associated with masculinity and expression of manhood in fighting against human oppression and police brutality. According to the Black PantherPartynewspaper, the party recognized traditional gender roles and the woman’s position was to stay behind a man. The newspaper stated that women were to follow men in their undertakings without questioning. By contrast, in 1969, the panther newspaper officially announced that both men and women were equal and deserved an equal treatment.The party members were encouraged to bring in many women representatives as possible as they were considered to be revolutionaries. As a result, the party members were taught in respect of gender equality in the fight against racial discrimination and exploitation of black Americans.
The Black Panther Party social needs
Formation of the Black Panther Party was very much influential in the United States government and the police agencies at large. The party leaders had set out ten clear social requirements to be met by the organization.The group was a collective identity of black Americans protesting against oppression. The main idea was to mitigate the oppression faced by black Americans and achievement of freedom and equality like the whites. Among many other objectives, the black Americans demanded an equal representation in political and economical fields. This was to ensure that all United States citizens were equal before the law.As a result of segregation of blacks, the Black Panther Party held several demonstrations and staged street fights with the police on demand for equal treatment. Police and other administrative agencies were run by whites while blacks faced oppression in the administration of justice and legal representation.
Full employment was another concern and a social problem addressed by the Black Panther Party. Employment opportunities were, usually, given to whites while blacks were excluded leading to lack of income. As a result, they led protests championing for equal representation in employment opportunities. According to reports, the Black Panther Party focused on government imperialism and exploitation of blacks by whites. Huey Newton had found a California law that made the panthers to carry loaded guns in public without any legal action taken. The organization had a dressing code that made each and every member dress like a paramilitary group.
Source of recruits
The organization drew membership from around the United States city especially black youth college students. Most black youths were faced with myriad social hiccups as a result of racial segregation and exploitation. Education and employment opportunities were hardly offered to black young people. As a result, there were a lot of black young people in the streets without means of livelihood. These young college students joined the organization withthe aim of combating inequality in economic, social, and political representation. Since the organization was initially meant to uplift the living standards of black people living in ghettos, a lot of young black youth from American ghettos joined the group. The grouped became a threat to the police and the government in general due to harsh tactics employed by the group members in fighting for their rights. Some of the ideas used by the organizations included Malcolm X teachings which were significant in influencing black Americans’ way of thinking. In the fight against political and social justice, the organizations’ efforts were overshadowed by their ruthless acts and violent techniques in battling the police.
Activities
In 1967, the Black Panther Party held a demonstration in California protesting an attempt by the state assembly to implement a law banning the carrying of firearms openly in public. As a result, members of the organization carried rifles during the demonstration to state house where they demanded government withdrawal of such a law. The government had opted to implement such a law in an attempt to combat violent activities of the organization. This event made known to the public of the Black Panthers. In early 1970’s, the organization had drawn membership around the country including some white people who perceived the movement as a revolutionary group. Measures and strategies by the government and police agencies to eliminate the organizations’ activities were often carried out. For instance, the state assembly tried to implement some laws to ban the carrying of firearms in public. The police department, on the other hand, put in place COINTELPRO program to combat the Black Panther Party.
According to an FBI director, the Black Panthers were described as the greatest national threat. The organization staged various raids in police stations protesting against the brutal treatment and false accusations of the police against its members. The Black Panther activities became brutal in late 1969 after one member was found to be acting in concert with the FBI. Alex Rackley, a member of the organization, was kidnapped and held captive by fellow panthers. He later confessed to collaborating with the FBI agents after two day torture in New Haven. Rackley was later shot by the Black Panthers leading to intense police operations in finding persons responsible. The murder case of Rackley caused a lot of internal disputes and segregation among the Black Panthers. Members of the organization responsible for the murder of Rackley were arrested and arraigned in court. Several party leaders were also arrested and convicted in connection with the murder of Rackley. The Black Panther Party leadership seemed to be deteriorating following incarceration of some of its leaders.As a result, panthers operations and violent activities decline as police intensified their search for panther members. The organization’s membership had also declined as a result of the damaged reputation of the group.
Leadership wrangles and decline of the party
The party leadership positions began to bring controversies as they had conflicting ideas and management techniques. One of the party’s supporters, Eldridge Cleaver, criticized a move to change the organization’s agenda into reformist. There were various issues raised concerning leadership roles including removal of some leaders from position. On the contrary, some party leaders such as Huey Newton and David Hilliard advocated for a community and social provision to the public. The Black Panther Party, eventually, came to a fall as a result of increased legal costs and leadership disputes. In 1974, Elaine Brown took the chairperson role of the party as its roles changed from a revolutionary movement into an election campaign group. Under a new leadership management, the organization’s chairwoman took the opportunity to get more women involved in the leadership positions of the party. In 1977, Hues Newton took back the leadership of the party as Brown left the group.In 1980, the Black Panther Party membership had gone down to 27 people. As a result, the party was disbanded while the panther sponsored school was closed down in 1982.
References
Abu-Jamal, M. (2004). We Want Freedom: A Life in the Black Panther Party. Cambridge: South End Press.
Jama Lazerow, a. Y. (2006). In Search of the Black Panther Party: New Perspectives on a Revolutionary. New York: Duke University Press.
Jones, C. E. (1998). The Black Panther Party . New York: Black Classic Press.
Joshua Bloom, W. E. (2013). Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party. California:University of California Press.
Kathleen Cleaver, a. G. (2001). Liberation, Imagination, and the Black Panther Party: A New Look at the Panthers and Their Legacy. New York: Routledge.
