The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was founded in October 1966 in Oakland, California by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. The name was shortened to the Black Panther Party (BPP) and began to spread eastward through colonies of black urban ghettos from one extreme to another country.
In the summer of 1968, David Brothers established a BPP branch in Brooklyn, New York, and a few months later Lumumba Shakur founded a branch in Harlem, New York. I joined the Harlem BPP in the fall of 1968 and served as finance officer to be arrested on April 2, 1969 in the case of the Panther 21 conspiracy, which was the starting signal for the attack on national government against the BPP. Moving westward, Police Departments in each city conducted military raids on BPP offices and houses in Philadelphia, Chicago, Newark, Omaha, Denver, New Haven, San Diego, Los Angeles and other cities, murdering some Panthers and arresting others.
After I and others of the 21 Panthers we were imprisoned for two years awaiting trial, were acquitted of all charges and released. Most of us went back to the community and the BPP but by then COINTELPRO had taken its toll. In the BPP spread dissension, both internal and external. Internal conflicts, divisions, intrigue, and paranoia had become so ingrained that eventually most members drifted apart or were expelled. Some continued to fight on other fronts and other fundamentally completely quieted. The BPP continued limping several more years, then died of what appeared to be a natural death.
History will be the final judge of the place of the BPP in the Black Liberation Movement (BLM). But in these troubled times, Africans in America needs to investigate both the positive and negative aspects of the history of the BPP in order to learn from those lessons that have been paid in blood. In particular, we need to learn the reasons for the BPP's rapid rise to prominence, the reason for his ability to move as many Africans and people of other nationalities, and the reason for his disappearance during his brief stay with the American scene. It is not possible in this brief article, in this small daily, provide much of what is needed and which will simply outline some of the highlights of the positive and negative contributions of the BPP to the Black Liberation Movement.
positive aspects of the contributions of the Black Panther Party
1. Defense: This is one of the key areas with which the BPP contributed to the Black Liberation Movement. It is also one of the key issues that distinguishes the BPP of most black organizations that preceded it and which attracted members (particularly youth), mass support and a multitude of followers. The concept is not only sound but also meaning common. But it must be implemented correctly, otherwise it may cause more harm than good. The BPP self-defense policies need to be analyzed in this light by African organizations today. All history shows that this government will bring its police and military power to put pressure on any group which truly seeks to free the Africans. Any black organization "freedom" that ignores self-defense does so at their own risk.
2. Revolutionary Nationalist Ideology: The BPP was a nationalist organization. Its main objective was the national liberation of Africans in the United States, and restricted their membership only blacks. It was also revolutionary. The BPP theories and practices were based on socialist principles. It was anti-capitalist and struggled for a revolution in American society. Nationally, widely disseminate the basic socialist programs for the African masses. Internationally, Africa provided the United States a broad understanding of our relationship with Africa, the independent African nations in distress, Third World nations, socialist nations, and all national liberation movements associated with these nations . The idea was to give a more concrete view of ideology that provided the Africans here and the analysis of the world. Until then, most black analysis of world and society in which we live, was based on ourselves acceptable to White society, proving to Whites that we were human, proving to Whites that we were ready for equality , proving that we were equal to Whites, disproving racist ideas held by Whites, struggling for integration or for equal status with whites, theories of "love your enemy", "hating the enemy," spectrum, and other blurred images of how the real world.
3. Mass organization techniques: Another key issue BPP attracted to both members and popular support was his policy of "serving the people." It was a policy closer to the masses, live with them, sharing their problems and organize to implement their own solutions to everyday problems that concerned them significantly. Organizing and implementing the wishes of the masses, the BPP organized community programs ranging from free breakfasts for children, free health clinics, to rent strikes looking hiciesen tenants to own their buildings, Liberation Schools graduate school , free clothing campaigns, campaigns for community control of schools, community control police, and campaigns to stop drugs, crime and murder and police brutality in a number of black colonies in the Americas. For these reasons and others, the influence of the BPP made its membership, at that time, be extended considerably. Not only are educated about self-sufficiency through programs of the BPP, but years later the government established similar programs such as free breakfasts in schools, expand health care coverage for over 65 years and provide daily care and liberalize the legal procedures for eviction of tenants of houses for poor, in part, but mainly to extinguish the memory of the earlier programs of the BPP and the principle of self-sufficiency.
4. The practice of equality for women: Another positive contribution of the BPP was its defense and practice of equality for women at all levels of the organization and in society itself. This occurred at a time when most Black Nationalist organizations were demanding that a woman's place was at home and / or a step behind the black man, and a time when the entire country maintained a high debate on the issue of women's liberation.
5. Techniques of propaganda: The BPP made significant contributions to the art of propaganda. He was skilled enough to expand their message and ideas through its newspaper The Black Panther, mass rallies, tours, lectures, slogans, posters, pamphlets, drawings, badges, symbols (for example, a clenched fist), graffiti, political trials and even funerals. The BPP also spread its ideas through very skillful use of television of the ruling class, the radio, and print media. One singular indication, although there are others, of the effectiveness of BPP propaganda techniques is that even today, more than a decade later, many of the programs broadcast on television are "police stories" and many of the roles available to black actors are limited to police roles. Much of this has to do with the overall process to continue trying to rehabilitate the image of the police after his devastating exposure during the era of the BPP, and to prevent the true role of the police in this society to be rediscovered.
negative aspects of the contributions of the Black Panther Party
1. Corrupt leaders: COINTELPRO eventually intimidated and corrupted all three top leaders of the BPP, Huey P. Newton, Bobby Seale and Eldridge Cleaver. Each in its own way gave in to pressure and began to act in a manner was deliberately designed to destroy the BPP, and disappointed not only party members but also to Africans in America for years. COINTELPRO's hopes were that the Africans in America were so disillusioned that never again trust or follow any leader or organization to defend African real solutions to black oppression.
2. Combining legal and illegal: This was one of the most serious structural errors BPP. Party members who functioned openly in the BPP offices, or organized openly in the community during the day, could surely be the same people who carried out operations armed during the night. This provided the police with a convenient excuse to make raids on any or all BPP offices, or in the homes of its members, under the pretext that they were looking for suspects, fugitives, weapons, and / or explosives. BPP also dragged the unwinnable position to take to make a stationary defense offices. It must have been a clear separation between the party in the legal and illegal armed unit. In addition, small military forces should never adopt, as a general tactic, the position of making stationary defenses of offices, houses, buildings, etc.
3. Excessive rhetorical skills: Although the BPP was skilled in the art of propaganda and made very good use of both their media as the ruling class, too many Panthers were falling into the habit of making boisterous claims in the public media, or "Bluffing" without considering the consequences . Finally, never to be taken seriously. The press, some of whom were policemen, often only had to stick a microphone under the nose of a Pantera for he or she would begin to drop their rhetoric. This often, fell into the hands of those who were only looking for slanderous material to issue or possible intelligence information to the police.
4. Lumpen tendencies: It can be said sure that the largest segment of members of the BPP in New York (and probably nationwide) were workers employed in everyday life. Other segments of the membership were semi-proletariat, students, youth and lumpen-proletariat. The lumpen tendencies of some members was the media that the ruling class (and some party members) mainly emitted. The lumpen tendencies are associated with lack of discipline, extensive use of alcohol, marijuana, and curses of questionable sexual morality, criminal-minded and reckless actions. These tendencies in some Party members gave the best media opportunities slander of which would have had otherwise, which diverted public attention from most of the positive work done by the BPP.
5. Dogmatism: The early success caused some Panthers would feel as if they were the sole possessors of absolute truth. Some became arrogant and dogmatic in their dealings with other Party members, other organizations and even the community. This upset people.
6. Failure in the Organization of Economic Foundations in the Community: The BPP preached socialist politics. Anticapitalist and this distorts the concept of building economic foundations in the community. They used to give the impression that engage in any business enterprise was introduced in capitalism and often looked down upon people who had small businesses in the community. Accordingly, the BPP built a few businesses that generated other income of the Black Panther newspaper, or they could provide self-employment for its members and the people of the community. The BPP was wrong to not encourage the black community to build their own business by building an independent economic foundation which could break the control of "intruders" in the economy of the black community, and move it made economic self-sufficiency.
7. Mentality: The Sixties were a time of great change. An important sector of the U.S. population turned to the mass struggle. Black Liberation, Native American, Puerto Rican, Asian, Chicano, anti-war, white revolutionaries, and the liberation of women, were movements that were taking place more or less simultaneously during this time. It seemed that these considerable changes caused some Panthers to think that a government takeover was imminent or that a revolutionary struggle was the rapid pace of a television program. That is, is put into operation at 9 pm, reaches its climax at 9:45 pm and 9:55 pm near the victory! All in time for the news of the 10. When nothing happened that after a few years, namely that Africans were still not free in the U.S., there was no revolution, and even worse, the BPP was everywhere on the defensive, bearing losses and riddled with dissension, many members were demoralized, disillusioned, and away or returning to their old ways of life. They were not prepared psychologically for a long struggle. In retrospect, it seems that the BPP did not do enough to root out this TV mentality that had some of its members, but did it with others, which is an aspect to consider.
Although the BPP made serious errors, also received a considerable amount of success and made several important contributions to the Black Liberation Movement. The final trial of history can show clearly that the way the BPP added to the Black Agenda final ingredient needed to achieve true freedom: armed struggle and that was the turning point that ultimately would put the Black Liberation Movement in the final path to victory.
In the summer of 1968, David Brothers established a BPP branch in Brooklyn, New York, and a few months later Lumumba Shakur founded a branch in Harlem, New York. I joined the Harlem BPP in the fall of 1968 and served as finance officer to be arrested on April 2, 1969 in the case of the Panther 21 conspiracy, which was the starting signal for the attack on national government against the BPP. Moving westward, Police Departments in each city conducted military raids on BPP offices and houses in Philadelphia, Chicago, Newark, Omaha, Denver, New Haven, San Diego, Los Angeles and other cities, murdering some Panthers and arresting others.
After I and others of the 21 Panthers we were imprisoned for two years awaiting trial, were acquitted of all charges and released. Most of us went back to the community and the BPP but by then COINTELPRO had taken its toll. In the BPP spread dissension, both internal and external. Internal conflicts, divisions, intrigue, and paranoia had become so ingrained that eventually most members drifted apart or were expelled. Some continued to fight on other fronts and other fundamentally completely quieted. The BPP continued limping several more years, then died of what appeared to be a natural death.
History will be the final judge of the place of the BPP in the Black Liberation Movement (BLM). But in these troubled times, Africans in America needs to investigate both the positive and negative aspects of the history of the BPP in order to learn from those lessons that have been paid in blood. In particular, we need to learn the reasons for the BPP's rapid rise to prominence, the reason for his ability to move as many Africans and people of other nationalities, and the reason for his disappearance during his brief stay with the American scene. It is not possible in this brief article, in this small daily, provide much of what is needed and which will simply outline some of the highlights of the positive and negative contributions of the BPP to the Black Liberation Movement.
positive aspects of the contributions of the Black Panther Party
1. Defense: This is one of the key areas with which the BPP contributed to the Black Liberation Movement. It is also one of the key issues that distinguishes the BPP of most black organizations that preceded it and which attracted members (particularly youth), mass support and a multitude of followers. The concept is not only sound but also meaning common. But it must be implemented correctly, otherwise it may cause more harm than good. The BPP self-defense policies need to be analyzed in this light by African organizations today. All history shows that this government will bring its police and military power to put pressure on any group which truly seeks to free the Africans. Any black organization "freedom" that ignores self-defense does so at their own risk.
2. Revolutionary Nationalist Ideology: The BPP was a nationalist organization. Its main objective was the national liberation of Africans in the United States, and restricted their membership only blacks. It was also revolutionary. The BPP theories and practices were based on socialist principles. It was anti-capitalist and struggled for a revolution in American society. Nationally, widely disseminate the basic socialist programs for the African masses. Internationally, Africa provided the United States a broad understanding of our relationship with Africa, the independent African nations in distress, Third World nations, socialist nations, and all national liberation movements associated with these nations . The idea was to give a more concrete view of ideology that provided the Africans here and the analysis of the world. Until then, most black analysis of world and society in which we live, was based on ourselves acceptable to White society, proving to Whites that we were human, proving to Whites that we were ready for equality , proving that we were equal to Whites, disproving racist ideas held by Whites, struggling for integration or for equal status with whites, theories of "love your enemy", "hating the enemy," spectrum, and other blurred images of how the real world.
3. Mass organization techniques: Another key issue BPP attracted to both members and popular support was his policy of "serving the people." It was a policy closer to the masses, live with them, sharing their problems and organize to implement their own solutions to everyday problems that concerned them significantly. Organizing and implementing the wishes of the masses, the BPP organized community programs ranging from free breakfasts for children, free health clinics, to rent strikes looking hiciesen tenants to own their buildings, Liberation Schools graduate school , free clothing campaigns, campaigns for community control of schools, community control police, and campaigns to stop drugs, crime and murder and police brutality in a number of black colonies in the Americas. For these reasons and others, the influence of the BPP made its membership, at that time, be extended considerably. Not only are educated about self-sufficiency through programs of the BPP, but years later the government established similar programs such as free breakfasts in schools, expand health care coverage for over 65 years and provide daily care and liberalize the legal procedures for eviction of tenants of houses for poor, in part, but mainly to extinguish the memory of the earlier programs of the BPP and the principle of self-sufficiency.
4. The practice of equality for women: Another positive contribution of the BPP was its defense and practice of equality for women at all levels of the organization and in society itself. This occurred at a time when most Black Nationalist organizations were demanding that a woman's place was at home and / or a step behind the black man, and a time when the entire country maintained a high debate on the issue of women's liberation.
5. Techniques of propaganda: The BPP made significant contributions to the art of propaganda. He was skilled enough to expand their message and ideas through its newspaper The Black Panther, mass rallies, tours, lectures, slogans, posters, pamphlets, drawings, badges, symbols (for example, a clenched fist), graffiti, political trials and even funerals. The BPP also spread its ideas through very skillful use of television of the ruling class, the radio, and print media. One singular indication, although there are others, of the effectiveness of BPP propaganda techniques is that even today, more than a decade later, many of the programs broadcast on television are "police stories" and many of the roles available to black actors are limited to police roles. Much of this has to do with the overall process to continue trying to rehabilitate the image of the police after his devastating exposure during the era of the BPP, and to prevent the true role of the police in this society to be rediscovered.
negative aspects of the contributions of the Black Panther Party
1. Corrupt leaders: COINTELPRO eventually intimidated and corrupted all three top leaders of the BPP, Huey P. Newton, Bobby Seale and Eldridge Cleaver. Each in its own way gave in to pressure and began to act in a manner was deliberately designed to destroy the BPP, and disappointed not only party members but also to Africans in America for years. COINTELPRO's hopes were that the Africans in America were so disillusioned that never again trust or follow any leader or organization to defend African real solutions to black oppression.
2. Combining legal and illegal: This was one of the most serious structural errors BPP. Party members who functioned openly in the BPP offices, or organized openly in the community during the day, could surely be the same people who carried out operations armed during the night. This provided the police with a convenient excuse to make raids on any or all BPP offices, or in the homes of its members, under the pretext that they were looking for suspects, fugitives, weapons, and / or explosives. BPP also dragged the unwinnable position to take to make a stationary defense offices. It must have been a clear separation between the party in the legal and illegal armed unit. In addition, small military forces should never adopt, as a general tactic, the position of making stationary defenses of offices, houses, buildings, etc.
3. Excessive rhetorical skills: Although the BPP was skilled in the art of propaganda and made very good use of both their media as the ruling class, too many Panthers were falling into the habit of making boisterous claims in the public media, or "Bluffing" without considering the consequences . Finally, never to be taken seriously. The press, some of whom were policemen, often only had to stick a microphone under the nose of a Pantera for he or she would begin to drop their rhetoric. This often, fell into the hands of those who were only looking for slanderous material to issue or possible intelligence information to the police.
4. Lumpen tendencies: It can be said sure that the largest segment of members of the BPP in New York (and probably nationwide) were workers employed in everyday life. Other segments of the membership were semi-proletariat, students, youth and lumpen-proletariat. The lumpen tendencies of some members was the media that the ruling class (and some party members) mainly emitted. The lumpen tendencies are associated with lack of discipline, extensive use of alcohol, marijuana, and curses of questionable sexual morality, criminal-minded and reckless actions. These tendencies in some Party members gave the best media opportunities slander of which would have had otherwise, which diverted public attention from most of the positive work done by the BPP.
5. Dogmatism: The early success caused some Panthers would feel as if they were the sole possessors of absolute truth. Some became arrogant and dogmatic in their dealings with other Party members, other organizations and even the community. This upset people.
6. Failure in the Organization of Economic Foundations in the Community: The BPP preached socialist politics. Anticapitalist and this distorts the concept of building economic foundations in the community. They used to give the impression that engage in any business enterprise was introduced in capitalism and often looked down upon people who had small businesses in the community. Accordingly, the BPP built a few businesses that generated other income of the Black Panther newspaper, or they could provide self-employment for its members and the people of the community. The BPP was wrong to not encourage the black community to build their own business by building an independent economic foundation which could break the control of "intruders" in the economy of the black community, and move it made economic self-sufficiency.
7. Mentality: The Sixties were a time of great change. An important sector of the U.S. population turned to the mass struggle. Black Liberation, Native American, Puerto Rican, Asian, Chicano, anti-war, white revolutionaries, and the liberation of women, were movements that were taking place more or less simultaneously during this time. It seemed that these considerable changes caused some Panthers to think that a government takeover was imminent or that a revolutionary struggle was the rapid pace of a television program. That is, is put into operation at 9 pm, reaches its climax at 9:45 pm and 9:55 pm near the victory! All in time for the news of the 10. When nothing happened that after a few years, namely that Africans were still not free in the U.S., there was no revolution, and even worse, the BPP was everywhere on the defensive, bearing losses and riddled with dissension, many members were demoralized, disillusioned, and away or returning to their old ways of life. They were not prepared psychologically for a long struggle. In retrospect, it seems that the BPP did not do enough to root out this TV mentality that had some of its members, but did it with others, which is an aspect to consider.
Although the BPP made serious errors, also received a considerable amount of success and made several important contributions to the Black Liberation Movement. The final trial of history can show clearly that the way the BPP added to the Black Agenda final ingredient needed to achieve true freedom: armed struggle and that was the turning point that ultimately would put the Black Liberation Movement in the final path to victory.
Sundiata Acoli Sundiata Acoli
was born on January 14, 1937 in Decatur (Texas). Study mathematics in Vernon (Texas) and work for 15 years in information technology-oriented companies. In 1964 he participated in voter registration in Mississippi. In 1968 he joined the Black Panther Party in Harlem and served as finance officer until he was arrested for "conspiracy against the Panther 21" by what happened two years in prison until his release. After the end of the BPP was part of the Black Liberation Army (Black Liberation Army, BLA). In 1973 police officers ambushed the car he was with other members of the BLA. A companion, Zayd Shakur, was killed and another companion, Assata Shakur, was injured and arrested. A police officer was wounded and another was killed. Sundiata Acoli was sentenced to life imprisonment and, currently, is still imprisoned in a maximum security prison in the United States.
* last revision: 19/09/09
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