BLACK PANTHER PARTY MOVEMENT

TOPIC SUMMARY

The Black Panther Party was a revolutionary movement established in 1966 by Huey P.

Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland, California. The Black Panther Party's platform

included the Ten-Point Program and the following political objectives: "ensuring that black

people control their own communities; establishing a black nation within the United States;

overthrowing capitalism; eradicating internal racism" and "working to build a larger, more

united front of minorities (i.e., white people) committed to total liberation." They did not

want integration, but "Black Power," which they defined as the liberation of African

Americans from prejudice and their independent development under socialism or

communism. The Party was committed to the "physical, mental, and spiritual well-being of

the Black population" as well as the "complete emancipation of all African people."

MOVEMENT TYPE

The Black Panther Party was a revolutionary movement all across the US and the Party's Ten

Point Platform was primarily defined by its clear definition of socialism as based on the

historical role of the state in the uplift of African Americans, which included land reform and

other social initiatives, rather than simply economic growth. The Party expressly rejected the

Communist Party of the United States of America's Two-Party System in favor of a united

front to accomplish objectives. Additionally, it rejected Communism since it lacked a defined

objective other than securing power for itself via force. "Pigs Die, but the People Live On,"

was one of the Party's early famous slogans.

THEORY OF CHANGE

The Black Panther Party started as a subgroup inside the larger black liberation movement. It

was active in streets and neighborhoods, as well as in third-party politics. The Black Panther
Party was a political organization that campaigned for socialist revolution and universal

health care. They thought that real liberty could be obtained only by fighting for socialism

and against capitalism, imperialism, and all kinds of tyranny. To guarantee the movement's

success, the populace committed everyone to changing the repressive system and promoting

love and empathy across their communities in order to achieve lasting structural change.

REFERENCE

“RISE OF THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY.” Black Panther Party.

www.blackpanther.org/legacytwo.htm (accessed December 1, 2012).

Newton, Huey P. “The Ten Point Plan.” BlackPanther.org. http://www.blackpanther.org

(accessed October 30, 2012)