Embedded Files
What was The Black Panther Party?
The Black Panther party was a revolutionary organization created in 1966 led by African Americans. The party didn't start gaining traction until a few years later. The Party was created by students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in Oakland, California. Both of them had attended Merritt College in Oakland. The party was created for self defense . They had adopted the slogan, "Freedom by any means necessary." Which was coined by Malcom X who was assassinated in 1965. The original name of the party was, "The Black Panther Party For Self-Defense" but was later shortened to, "The Black Panther Party". The Purpose of this party was to patrol black neighborhoods and protect them from police brutality. The group eventually turned into a Marxist group that demanded the release of all black prisoners, arming all African Americans, and compensation for years upon years of exploitation of African Americans. The Black Panthers' campaign for equality had an enduring effect on the empowerment of the African American society that is still lasting today with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Who Was Bobby Seale?
Bobby Seale was born in Liberty, Texas. Bobby lived in poverty during most of his life. Seale's family relocated to Codornices Village in Berkeley, California during the Great Migration when he was eight. Seale attended Berkeley High School, then dropped out in 1955 and joined the United States Air Force. Three years later, a court martial convicted him of fighting with a commanding officer at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, resulting in a bad conduct discharge. Seale worked as a sheet metal mechanic for various aerospace plants while studying for his high school diploma at night. After earning his high school diploma, Seale attended Merritt Community College where he studied engineering and politics. While at college, Bobby Seale joined the Afro-American Association. Through the AAA group, Seale met Huey P. Newton. In June 1966, Seale began working at the North Oakland Neighborhood's Anti-Poverty Center summer youth program. Seale's objective was to teach the youth in the program Black American History and also encourage their responsibility toward the people in their communities. While working in the program, Seale met Bobby Hutton, who later became the first recruited member of the Black Panther Party.
Who was Huey P. Newton?
Newton was born in Monroe, Louisiana. His parents named him after Huey Long, former Governor of Louisiana. Monroe is located in Louisiana's Ouachita Parish, which has had a history of violence against African Americans' since Reconstruction. As a response to the violence, the Newton family migrated to Oakland, California. The Newton family was close-knit, but quite poor. They moved often within the San Francisco Bay Area during Newton's childhood. Despite this, Newton said he never went without food and shelter as a child. As a teenager, he was arrested several times for criminal offenses, including gun possession and vandalism at age 14. Newton graduated from Oakland Technical High School in 1959. He attended Merritt College, where he earned an Associate of Arts degree in 1966. Plato's Republic was an influential work in Newton's early adult life; he told the court during the trial for the killing of officer John Frey, that he had learned to read from studying the Republic. After that, he started "questioning everything." In his autobiography, Revolutionary Suicide, he states: "Most of all, I questioned what was happening in my own family and in the community around me."
What was "The Ten Point Plan"?
The Ten point plan was created to show the desires of the political party, or their motives for the party. It showcased what the party represented; equality, fair treatment of African Americans, and increase black representation in public office.
We want freedom. We want power to determine the destiny of our Black Community.
We want full employment for our people.
We want an end to the robbery by the Capitalists of our Black Community.
We want decent housing, fit for shelter of human beings.
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 present-day society.
We want all Black men to be exempt from military service.
We want an immediate end to POLICE BRUTALITY and MURDER of Black people.
We want freedom for all Black men held in federal, state, county and city prisons and jails.
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.
We want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice and peace.
Timeline of major events
October 28, 1967: After stopping Huey Newton & Gene McKinney, Oakland Patrolman John Frey is killed and Patrolman Herbert Heanes wounded; Newton is critically injured and arrested.
November 13, 1967: The Alameda County grand jury returns an indictment against Newton with three felonies: the murder of Patrolman John Frey; the assault of Patrolman Herbert Heanes; the kidnapping of Dell Ross near the scene of the crime.
December 1967: The Black Panther Party forms a coalition with the Peace and Freedom Party, made up mostly young whites opposed to the Vietnam War; the phrase "Free Huey" was created out of this coalition.
February 17, 1968: A large Oakland "Free Huey" rally takes place on Newton's birthday at the Oakland Auditorium; it is attended by 5,000 people including Stokely Carmichael, H. Rap Brown, Bobby Seale, Eldridge Cleaver & lawyer Charles Garry among others.
July 15, 1968: Newton's trial begins in the Alameda County Court House; 5,000 demonstrators and 450 Black Panthers gather to show their support.
September 8, 1968: The 11 white members and 1 black member of the jury deliberated and concluded, "We, the jury in the above entitled cause, find the above named defendant Huey P. Newton guilty of a felony, to wit, to voluntary manslaughter... not guilty of a felony, to wit, assault with a deadly weapon upon a police officer..."
September 27 - 28, 1968: Newton sentenced to 2-15 years for manslaughter to be served at the California Men's Colony, East Facility, in San Luis Obispo, California; inmates more commonly knew it as the California Penal Colony.
May 11, 1969: "Free Huey" rally is held in San Francisco, California on May Day.
May 29, 1970: After 21 months of appeals by lawyer Charles Garry, the California Appellate Court overturns Newton's manslaughter conviction based on Judge Friedman's incomplete instructions given to the jury.
August 5, 1970: After posting a $50,000 bail, Huey P. Newton is released.
What was the symbolism behind the flag?
The flag was created by Emory Douglass. On the flag there is a black panther and text that says "Free Huey" in black print with a white background. The flag to the right was the most commonly used flag. The black panther stood for courage, determination, and freedom. Huey was the co-founder of The Black Panthers. In 1967 he was arrested and charged for murder in first degree of John Frey. The term, "Free Huey" was then added onto the flag.
Huey P. Newton pictured bearing arms
Here is a quote from Roger Guenveur Smith who wrote and starred in "A Huey P. Newton Story"
"Yeah they freed Huey. Then Huey came out and they wanted Huey to free them and I keep trying to tell the people, I say people, that's the true power of the people, you freed me, you freed Huey, now why don't you all go ahead and free yourself? But see, they can't do that can they? They can't do that cause the people always have to create what they call a leader and a leader is everything that the people want to be but the leader is everything that the people can never be so then when the leader fails, he's gonna fail, he's just flesh and blood, he's gonna fail, when the leader fails then the whole construction of the concept of leadership fails and then it just becomes a matter of contempt. And that's when they assassinate you and then put your image on a postage stamp so they can keep lickin' you in the grave."
Bobby Seale (left) and Huey P. Newton (right) advocating for their political party
If you are still looking for more information on the Black Panther Party, watch this video by crash course:
Sources included that helped make this website:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Black-Panther-Partyhttps://www.prattlibrary.org/research/guides/the-black-panther-partyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Panther_Partyhttps://www.pbs.org/hueypnewton/actions/actions_freehuey.html#:~:text="Free%20Huey"%20rally%20is%20held,instructions%20given%20to%20the%20jury.https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us%7Dbpp.htmlhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao0Jozn_7HM
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Black-Panther-Partyhttps://www.prattlibrary.org/research/guides/the-black-panther-partyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Panther_Partyhttps://www.pbs.org/hueypnewton/actions/actions_freehuey.html#:~:text="Free%20Huey"%20rally%20is%20held,instructions%20given%20to%20the%20jury.https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us%7Dbpp.htmlhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao0Jozn_7HM
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse