The Black Panther Party

Who Were They… Full name: The Black Panther Party for Self Defense Formed in California 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale comprised a relatively small body of vociferous black militants They were tired of the racism of the mainly white police force and their brutality

What Did They Do? Its original purpose was to protect African Americans from acts of police brutality Became involved in shoot-outs with police in California and New York Members of the BPP gave public speeches to African Americans to carry guns and use them if they ever experienced police brutality If an African American had a run in with the police, A Black Panther was not far from the scene in the 1960’s

Their Goals…”10 Point Program” 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 CAPITALIST of our Black Community 4. We want decent housing, fit for shelter of human beings 5. We want education that teaches us our true history and our role in the present-day society

Cont… 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 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. United Nations-supervised plebiscite to be held throughout the black colony in which only black colonial subjects will be allowed to participate.

How They Impacted America… Many people, especially white, were fearful of the Black Panthers because of how the media portrayed them, showing their displays of public aggressiveness The Black Panther Party stirred up a lot of hatred in the African American community, because they pointed out any oppression that blacks faced in America In late 60’s the BPP was labeled as one of the top most dangerous organizations by the FBI

The Ending And Legacy Of BPP… In the Mid 70’s instead of being feared and aggressive they turned to providing social services in African American neighborhoods The BPP had many internal disputes which caused their effectiveness to decline The BPP dissolved in 1982 The Black Panther Party epitomized the militant aspect of the Civil Rights Movement