Happy 50th Anniversary Black Panther Party

This month marks the 50^th anniversary of the Black Panther Party’s formation in Oakland California by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seal. The party modeled their programs after an undying love for the people. And still, so many of the original members and leaders within the party do not live to see today. They were labeled as terrorists, hunted like dogs, arrested like criminals, imprisoned and in many cases executed.

FBI wanted listing for Assata Shakur

19-year-old Fred Hampton’s home was raided, over 90 shots flew through the walls of his home and he was killed while lying in bed next to his wife and child. I was able to watch a documentary, the Murder of Fred Hampton, during the 3 day long Seattle’s Black Panther Party Forum and Film Festival and hear the accounts of original party members. They confirmed that Hampton’s death was a planned attack he was drugged and assassinated. Hampton was just one of many party members who were targeted by American executive forces. At Seattle’s Black Panther Party Forum and Film Festival we also were shown a Documentary Film on Assata Shakur “Eyes on the Rainbow”. Shakur was a political prisoner, imprisoned
and kept in solidity confinement within a male facility for just under 2 years (21 months).

The Democratic nor the Republican party have never been caught in such a violent pursuit with police, neither has any other political party. The corporations by whom the Democratic and Republican Party are funded are never criminalized or demonized for their disregard for the environment or injustices against the people (impoverishing millions). Corporations are the blood of this capitalistic democracy, they can never be criminalized. They even have constitutional rights that many people aren’t even able to enjoy.  The Black Panther Party came to represent those people, promoting “All power to the people”. I wondered how the government could attack an organization that supported and protected the people.

Then I realized that America has a history of dismantling anything that supported the people, especially Black people. This is why the Black Panther Party was labeled as a terrorist organization. The Black Panther Party was not tied to any corporation, advocated for Black nationalism and taught revolutionary socialism. To think that some people equate the BPP to the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist group that focused terrorizing communities of color. How could a self-defense group that protected Black people from police brutality and fed children in a free breakfast program, be compared to a terrorist organization? This could only be done through ignorance and manipulation.

I’ve realized that this is because Amerikkka is anti-Black. Recently Amerikkka has begun a boycott against Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream because of the support of Black Lives Matter. How could people boycott a company that advocates for the lives of others and condemns police brutality? I’ve realized that this is because Black power, Black liberation and Black freedom is a threat to Amerikkka.

Original six members of the Black Panther Party (1966) Top left to right: Elbert “Big Man” Howard, Huey P. Newton (Defense Minister), Sherwin Forte, Bobby Seale (Chairman) Bottom: Reggie Forte and Little Bobby Hutton (Treasurer).

Happy 50^th anniversary to the Black Panther Party, the revolutionary spirit lives on and it has been revived by the injustices that we continue to see in our community. Since the liquidation of the party in the 1980s people continue to look to the Panther’s Ten-Point program that was originally printed in the 2^nd issue of the Black Panther Newspaper on May 15, 1967.

“What We Want Now!”

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 the Capitalists of our Black Community.
4. We want decent housing, fit for shelter of human beings.
5. 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 the present day society.
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 a 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.

To think that every single one of these demands are still relevant to our community proves that we are not
done yet, which is why we must now remind America that Black Lives Matter.

All Power to the People.

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