Black Panther Party The Black Panther Party has become a symbol of empowerment for people all around the world. The group started out as one local chapter but soon became a force to be reckoned with. It was founded by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in 1966 in Oakland, California (Britannica Concise Encyclopedia). This was during a time when civil rights activists and African American communities were frustrated with the lack of progress that was occurring in desegregating public places. The Black Panther Party served as a beacon of hope for many because it started out as a group that was meant to protect people. But was soon considered a communist group because they promoted the arming of African Americans and the demanding of full employment,
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Using this strategy, the Black Panther’s were able to provoke a change in their communities. They have been credited with helping to reform the welfare program because of the services that they provided in communities that were less fortunate. At the same time they were blamed for uniting black youth and forming a marxist group. The FBI even later admitted that they used hostile stragies to try to prevent a leader from emerging that could unify and empower the militant black movement (History.com Staff). This effort is credited to being the reason why the Black Panther Party became more and more violent. Even though the group ended in the 1980s, its’ legacy is still felt today as groups such as the Black Lives Matter movement fight against police brutality and the general disrespect and negligence that is shown to some African American communities that now need the very services the Black Panther Party …show more content…
Before his death, Fred Hampton said that the party was only armed because many organizations were attacking them and the main purpose of the group was to educate (History.com Staff).This group is a prime example of how the oppressed can rise and overpower their oppressors. They started out as a progressive group that was only focused on the progression within their communities. But as the group saw that the government only focused on the fact that they were united, they resorted to violence because of their anger. I fear that because there has been little to no change in what the Black Panther’s fought against and there is so much pented up anger, there could be another more powerful and violent uprising. In order to bring about a more permanent and peaceful change lessons must be learned from the Black Panther Party and the mistakes that their oppressors made. Instead of making the African American youth in the group feel targeted because of where they came from, they could have been congratulated for being able to unite their communities and provide education and instead of resorting to violence, the Black Panthers could have created a petition and taken it to the Supreme Court. Despite their faults I believe that the Black Panther Party can continue to empower people to stand for what they believe in no matter
Using this strategy, the Black Panther’s were able to provoke a change in their communities. They have been credited with helping to reform the welfare program because of the services that they provided in communities that were less fortunate. At the same time they were blamed for uniting black youth and forming a marxist group. The FBI even later admitted that they used hostile stragies to try to prevent a leader from emerging that could unify and empower the militant black movement (History.com Staff). This effort is credited to being the reason why the Black Panther Party became more and more violent. Even though the group ended in the 1980s, its’ legacy is still felt today as groups such as the Black Lives Matter movement fight against police brutality and the general disrespect and negligence that is shown to some African American communities that now need the very services the Black Panther Party …show more content…
Before his death, Fred Hampton said that the party was only armed because many organizations were attacking them and the main purpose of the group was to educate (History.com Staff).This group is a prime example of how the oppressed can rise and overpower their oppressors. They started out as a progressive group that was only focused on the progression within their communities. But as the group saw that the government only focused on the fact that they were united, they resorted to violence because of their anger. I fear that because there has been little to no change in what the Black Panther’s fought against and there is so much pented up anger, there could be another more powerful and violent uprising. In order to bring about a more permanent and peaceful change lessons must be learned from the Black Panther Party and the mistakes that their oppressors made. Instead of making the African American youth in the group feel targeted because of where they came from, they could have been congratulated for being able to unite their communities and provide education and instead of resorting to violence, the Black Panthers could have created a petition and taken it to the Supreme Court. Despite their faults I believe that the Black Panther Party can continue to empower people to stand for what they believe in no matter