Segregation was a reality in the twentieth century, and if it had not been for revolutionary groups like the Black Panther Party, it may have also been something we would face today. Living for the City (2010), written by Donna J. Murch, discusses the “new forms of organization, grassroots mobilization, and political literacy” (p. 6) of the Black Panther Party. By implementing anti-segregation and educational public campaigns, the Black Panther Party became important for the development and empowerment of the African American community. A couple of activists stood against segregation during the mid-twentieth century, but their campaigns were inefficient because of lack of support from the community, as well as from authorities. Many black
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Blacks claimed that as they entered public schools in California, they could not perform well academically because teachers had “diminished expectations [which led] to diminished performance” (p. 49). Moreover, the district constantly neglected overcrowded schools, in which the majority of the student body was African American, while allocating most of the resources to white-only schools (p. 52). To solve this problem, the Black Panther Party began accrediting schools with the motto of “Learning how to think, not what to think” (p. 181-82). Their first accredited school was the Intercommunal Youth Institute, and later on June 25th, 1969, the Party established their first permanent liberation school. Liberation schools focused on current events, black history, revolutionary thought, and the Black Panther Party philosophy. The schools developed a curricula to “instill revolutionary consciousness,” pursuing to teach what ‘Power to the People’ meant (p. 180). Additionally, the Party believed that kids with empty stomachs could not make the best of their education. Hence, they sponsored a free breakfast program to feed hungry children before school (p. 169). The Black Panther Party improved education for the African American community by establishing new schools, as well as by supporting the kids by feeding them to improve their academic performance. Their devotion to improve education was borne out of their perspective of education as “an important avenue for self-realization and social mobility” (p.97). The party’s efforts to improve education led to not only increased numbers of educated black people, but also educated them in a manner appropriate for their culture, helping the people know that they were fully capable to perform anything the all-white schools told them they
Blacks claimed that as they entered public schools in California, they could not perform well academically because teachers had “diminished expectations [which led] to diminished performance” (p. 49). Moreover, the district constantly neglected overcrowded schools, in which the majority of the student body was African American, while allocating most of the resources to white-only schools (p. 52). To solve this problem, the Black Panther Party began accrediting schools with the motto of “Learning how to think, not what to think” (p. 181-82). Their first accredited school was the Intercommunal Youth Institute, and later on June 25th, 1969, the Party established their first permanent liberation school. Liberation schools focused on current events, black history, revolutionary thought, and the Black Panther Party philosophy. The schools developed a curricula to “instill revolutionary consciousness,” pursuing to teach what ‘Power to the People’ meant (p. 180). Additionally, the Party believed that kids with empty stomachs could not make the best of their education. Hence, they sponsored a free breakfast program to feed hungry children before school (p. 169). The Black Panther Party improved education for the African American community by establishing new schools, as well as by supporting the kids by feeding them to improve their academic performance. Their devotion to improve education was borne out of their perspective of education as “an important avenue for self-realization and social mobility” (p.97). The party’s efforts to improve education led to not only increased numbers of educated black people, but also educated them in a manner appropriate for their culture, helping the people know that they were fully capable to perform anything the all-white schools told them they