THE BLACK PANTHERS By: Shannon Berger, Ryan Nitz, Christopher
Siders, Courtney Thomas and Cherri Wilson-Thornton
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True or False Angela Davis was a part of the Black Panther
Party. T/F
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Angela Davis Angela Davis is an activist, scholar and writer
who advocates for the oppressed. She has authored several books,
including Women, Culture & Politics. She was not a member of
the Black Panther Party, she just associated herself with
them.
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True or False The Black Panther Party was racist against white
people. T/F
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Mission Statement. The Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation is a
community-based, non-profit research, education, and advocacy
center dedicated to fostering progressive social change. By
preserving the history of multicultural activism and community
self-determination, by educating the public about this history's
continued relevance, and by creating a crucible for practicing
ongoing progressive change, guided by the writings and teachings of
Huey P. Newton, the Foundation seeks to empower all people, but
especially urban youth, to be builders of a true global
community.
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True or False The number one woman wanted for murder in the
United States is Assata Shakur. T/F
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Assata Shakur My name is Assata ("she who struggles") Olugbala
( "for the people" ) Shakur ("the thankful one"), and I am a 20th
century escaped slave. Because of government persecution, I was
left with no other choice than to flee from the political
repression, racism and violence that dominate the US government's
policy towards people of color. I am an ex political prisoner, and
I have been living in exile in Cuba since 1984. I have been a
political activist most of my life, and although the U.S.
government has done everything in its power to criminalize me, I am
not a criminal, nor have I ever been one. In the 1960s, I
participated in various struggles: the black liberation movement,
the student rights movement, and the movement to end the war in
Vietnam. I joined the Black Panther Party. By 1969 the Black
Panther Party had become the number one organization targeted by
the FBI's. because the Black Panther Party demanded the total
liberation of black people, J. Edgar Hoover called it "greatest
threat to the internal security of the country" and vowed to
destroy it and its leaders and activists.
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A. Background and Context 1966 the Black Panther Party (BPP)
was founded The Original six members of the Black Panthers included
Elbert Big Man Howard, Sherman Forte, Reggie Forte, Little Bobby
Hutton, and Newton and Seale. The Party was established to monitor
police activities and protect the residents from police brutality.
The BPP combined elements of socialism and Black Nationalism it
also promoted the development of strong Black- controlled
institutions, calling for Blacks to work together to protect their
rights and to improve their economic and social conditions. The
Panthers also emphasized class unity, criticizing the Black middle
class for acting against the interests of other, less fortunate
Blacks.
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Huey P. Newton https://diva.sfsu.edu/ collections/sfbatv/bu
ndles/190417
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10 Point Platform 1.We want freedom. We want power to determine
the destiny of our Black Community. 2.We want full employment for
our people. 3.We want an end to the robbery by the white men of our
Black Community. 4.We want decent housing, fit for shelter of human
beings. 5.We want education for our people that exposes the true
nature of this decadent American society. We want education that
teaches us our true history and our role in the present day society
6.We want all Black men to be exempt from military service. 7.We
want an immediate end to POLICE BRUTALITY and MURDER of Black
people. 8.We want freedom for all Black men held in federal, state,
county and city prisons and jails. 9.We want all Black people when
brought to trial to be tried in court by a jury of their peer group
or people from their Black Communities, as defined by the
Constitution of the United States. 10.We want land, bread, housing,
education, clothing, justice and peace.
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Core Values Freedom Education Safety Rights Basic human needs
(ie food, shelter, land)
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Religious & Ethical Teachings No set religion for the BPP
Instead had guidelines to live and work by examples of guidelines:
o No party member can have narcotics or weed in his posession while
doing party work o No party member will commit any crimes against
other party members or black people at all, and cannot steal or
take from the people, not even a needle or a piece of thread. o No
party member will use, point, or fire a weapon of any kind
unnecessarily or accidentally at anyone.
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8 Points of Attention 1. Speak politely. 2. Pay fairly for what
you buy. 3. Return everything you borrow. 4. Pay for anything you
damage. 5. Do not hit or swear at people. 6. Do not damage property
or crops of the poor, oppressed masses. 7. Do not take liberties
with women. 8. If we ever have to take captives do not ill-treat
them.
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C. Cultural Patterns Took up the demands of Northern African
Americans. Sticking Together! The Black Panthers instituted a
variety of community social programs.
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Poverty The BPP wanted equal opportunity in the workforce for
all African Americans. o They believed that the federal government
is responsible and obligated to give every man employment or a
guaranteed income. o Also believed that if the white American
businessmen will not give full employment, then production should
be taken from the business man and placed in the inner city black
communities so they can organize and employ all of its people and
given a higher standard of living. A picture of a young child
trapped in poverty, but she holds a picture of a boy in the Panther
free breakfast program and stands in front of 1968 presidential
candidate Shirley Chisholm. "A vote for Chisholm is a vote for
survival."
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Education The BPP wanted education for African Americans o They
believed in an education system that gives the people knowledge of
ones self. If a man does not have knowledge of himself and his
position in society and the world, then he has little chance to
relate to anything else. BPP members started to teach others about
the history, also practicing ongoing progressive change, and by
teaching practical lessons of community service.
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Civil Wars/International Wars Black Panthers against Vietnam
War LAPD FBI Oakland Police
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THE BPP - What We Want, What We Believe Disc 1: Library
Newsreel Films 01. Off the Pig 02. Mayday 03. Repression RELEVANT
TIMECLIPS 1) (00:07 03:17) 2) (08:49 09:22) 3) (10:29 12:08)
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D. Current Concerns, Issues and Challenges. How is the Black
Panthers Party (BPP) dealing with the challenges of widespread and
rapid change and all the worldviews that they are faced with the
same challenges of advocating for in acceptance, adaption,
incorporation of and resistance or rejection to these changes? One
of the problems is that the community does not have a structured
organization or vehicle which serves it's needs and represents the
people's interests. HPN
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Violence in Group Identity In and of Itself Does Not Motivate
Violence (Pope, Flanigan 2013). Continuum of Community Acceptance
of Violent Activities by Terrorists & Political Insurgents Lack
of acceptance Passive acceptance Genuine Active participation and
active due to acceptance/widespread by community resistance.
silencing/coercion favorable opinion. members. Figure 1 - (Springer
Science + Business Media, 2013) There is a wide literature in
political science regarding the ways in which violence often
organizes around shared group identity, such as ethnicity or
religion (Figure 1). Groups in mainstream society are excluded from
political and social participation. Not as noticeable, charitable
movements by minority groups are often provoked by same
segregation.
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1966 - 21st Century The Black Panther Party was created during
a period of stress when Black people were moving away from the
philosophy and strategy of non-violent action toward sterner
actions (Black Panther.org.). Compared to 1966 when the BPP was
formed, today conditions for black Americans are worse, Blacks die
of: o Poverty o Cancer o AIDS o Infant mortality rate doubles
whites
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J. Edgar Hoover (FBI Head) Once Referred to the BPP as The
Number One Threat to Security in the U.S.A. More so today than when
the initial BPP began intervention and liberty is still needed. We
have been slandered, kidnapped, gagged, jailed and murdered. We
know now, more than ever before, that the will of the people is
greater than the technology and repression of those who are against
the interests of the people. Therefore we know that we can and will
continue to serve and educate the people (Black Panther.org.)
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The BPP Promoted Self-Defense Against Hunger, Addiction &
Poverty. What events or developments or pressures have the BPPs
attention and how are they responding to these events, developments
or pressures?
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Due to Massive Black Hunger & Police Brutality - the BPP
Provided: Free healthcare Free medical clinics (lack of decent
medical facilities in black communities) Breakfast for children
Clothing and shoe programs Education Support standing up and
resisting against police brutality Free legal aids and
bussing-to-prison programs Showed acts of compassion, protection
and love through social service provision and commitment to bear
arms (Pope, Flanigan).
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Goals of the BPP: Revolution is a process. Be ready to respond
creatively to new conditions and perceptive. Fight oppressive
forces creating need for government assistance.
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The New Black Panther Party (NBPP). As guardian of the true
history of the Black Panther Party, the Foundation, which includes
former leading members of the Party, criticizes the NBPPs
exploitation of the Party's name and history (Black Panthers.org).
The NBPP is trying to steal the names and pretend to walk i n the
footsteps of the Party's true heroes, such as Black Panther founder
Huey P. Newton, George Jackson and Jonathan Jackson, Bunchy Carter,
John Huggins, Fred Hampton, Mark Cark (Black Panthers.org). The
NBPP known to be extremists.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/the-new-black-panther-party/
(0:03 - 2:45)
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Some Embraced the BPP with a Sense of Pride While Others Viewed
Them With Fear and Mystification. Forty years later when Arnold
Schwarzenegger was Governor of California, the BPP is still
considered to be a threat. Today, racism and poverty is still a
huge challenge and problem for African Americans as back in the
1950s and 1960s. Exception: today, the BPP does have far greater
and affluent black, middle class Americans.
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The Demise of the BPP These complications created terrorism
Eldridge Cleaver. Cleaver, former BPP leader a flawed radical who
believe greatly in change in political orientation in his
worldview. Failure to adopt a rounded-out Marxist approach
(Socialist Party Magazine. (2006). The BPP beliefs are in unity and
strength (10 Point Program). BPP ensured affirmative rights of
women to play full, active role.
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Works Cited Works Cited Page: Black Panther.org. The Dr. Huey
P. Newton Foundation. Springer Science+Business. Media New York.
http://www.blackpanther.org/FAQs.html Lavelle, Ashley. (2012). From
Soul on Ice to Soul for Hire? The political transformation of Black
Panther Eldridge Cleaver. Race & Class. Vol. 54(2): 55-74.
10.1177/0306396812454985 National Geographic. (1996-2014). Inside
the New Black Panthers: The New Black Panther Party. National
Geographic Society.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/the-new-black-panther-party/
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/the-new-black-panther-party/
Pope, Ricky J., Flanigan, Shawn T. (2013). Revolution for
Breakfast: Intersections of Activism, Service, and Violence in the
Black Panther Partys Community Service Programs. Soc Just Res
26:445-470. DOI 10.1007/s11211-013-0197-8
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Works Cited Page: Socialist Party Magazine. (2006). Lessons
from the Black Panthers. Socialism Today. Issue 104.
http://www.socialismtoday.org/104/panthers.html
http://www.socialismtoday.org/104/panthers.html
http://www.blackpanther.org/index.html
http://www.franciscodacosta.com/articles/BPP.html
http://www.itsabouttimebpp.com/Chapter_History/FBI_War_LA_Chapter.html
http://www.marxists.org/history/usa/workers/black-panthers/unknown-date/party-rules.htm