Assata Shakur And The Black Panther Party

By any means necessary” (Malcolm X). During the 1950’s to 60’s Malcolm X was a Black Nationalist speaker for the nation of Islam. The Nation of Islam Impacted Malcolm X with the idea of obtaining freedom, justify, and equality by any means necessary. The Black Panther Party being strongly influenced by Malcolm also shared this idea. Malcolm’s view of ending racial discrimination was by the use of violence and advice his followers to protect themselves toward white assault ‘an eye for an eye’ unlike the views of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Newton and Bobby Seal founder of the Black Panther’s party of the 60’s led their party by the ideology of Malcolm X, and the New Black Panther found by Louis Farrakhan of the 80’s (Black Panther Party). Therefore

The Black Panthers aren’t talked about much. The Panthers had made a huge difference in the civil rights movement. They were not just a Black KKK. They helped revolutionize the thought of African Americans in the U.S.

Assata Shakur was born on July 14, 1947 her real name is Joanne Deborah Byron, after she was born her parent divorced. She was living with her mother, aunt and her grandparents in Wilmington North Carolina. As a child she spent time working with her grandparents in a restaurant they own by the beach. Her grandparents instilled in her the love for written word, and she spent a great deal reading to satisfy her imagination. Her family tried to infuse in her a sense of dignity, “you are as good as anyone else”, also not to let anyone said that they’re better than her. Shakur never like her real name Joanne she felt that she was not an African American and she should go back to Africa, because of

America stands for equality, freedom, and choice, but upon looking into the history behind America the everlasting struggle of racism, bigotry, and inequality are revealed. Through the 1950s to the 1970s, the fight for civil rights by African Americans was prominent throughout America. Schools, restaurants, and all public facilities were segregated, African Americans were blocked from voting through literacy tests and poll taxes, and The KKK, a white supremacist group, would lynch African American men. The need for the immediate cease of these practices and the desire for equality gave way to the Civil Rights Movement. Leaders and groups arose from this movement, such as Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, and the Black Panther Party. The overall goal was to achieve rights but there were two significantly different methods of achieving this goal, non-violent civil disobedience and “black power”. The shift from non-violent civil disobedience to “black power” was caused by the emotional toll of being complacent during personal attack and the truth that immediate change calls upon the use of force, and the result of the shift was the further spread of violence.

Imagine it is the 1960’s: conflict in Vietnam had sparked widespread protest at American college campuses, people all over the country were reading the The Feminine Mystique and fighting for increased equality among the sexes, and the Civil Rights Movement was at its peak. African Americans throughout America were uniting for the common cause of equality, however differing ideology and beliefs regarding how equality could be achieved divided them. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X rose as prominent leaders in the fight against racial inequality, the latter typically credited with the development of more violent methodology which excluded white involvement and conceived the movement of “Black Power.” The Black Panthers, members of a political party formed by college students Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in 1966, are typically associated with the idea of black power and the legacy of Malcolm X despite the fact that he had died a year prior to the party’s founding. While the idea of black power is easily and mis-conceivably associated with the idea of black supremacy and violence, The Black Panther Party primarily sought a spot for African Americans next to that of whites, not above. The Black Panther Party, despite its violent appearance and legacy, made a positive influence on American history through its platform based on equality, human rights, and patriotism.

According to the dictionary brave means to defy; challenge; dare. Cesar Chavez, Mother Jones, and Jinsook Kim were all activists who demonstrated what bravery meant in their fight for workers’ rights. Cesar Chavez was an individual who showed that through happiness and leadership, working conditions could change for the better. Furthermore, Mother Jones was a woman who was persistent and cared deeply for the children she fought for. She saw how harsh the working conditions were and how the conditions had a toil on the children’s bodies, so she decided to fight for better working conditions for the children. On the other side of the world, Jinsook Kim, a Korean activist, fought for her co-workers justice after a mass layoff. These three persistent human rights activists, all fought for workers’ rights through courageous acts of bravery.

Assata shakur was a member of the Black Panthers movement and was the most wanted person by the FBI. She was charged with first degree murder, assault, and battery of a police officer because of her activism, which brought resentment against her. This compelled her to move to Cuba, where she still lives today. She’s also Tupac Shakur step aunt. In “To My People “, she expresses her discontent about the white man 's position in society that allows them to manipulate and oppress the black man. She commands the colored men to advocate, assemble, to fight for their rights, and freedom because the american society and law enforcement are corrupted. She

What intrigues me most about not only Assata Shakur, but even Martin Luther King and

The Black Panther Party was a militant group that believed in protecting minorities by using their 2nd amendment right. The fear of the party began when a group of activists stormed the California State Legislature armed. The reason for the sit in on the building was in retaliation for a gun control bill. The bill was thought to be a way that the government could take rights away from minorities. The party had multiple gun related shootouts with local cops and the FBI, which lead to the leader, Huey Newton, to be arrested. The arrest was for killing an officer. This started the decline of the cohesiveness of the party as new leaders were appointed.

She indicated women’s rights and wanted to change our community to make it safer. After the giant incident her words were simple, but touching. She encouraged change and wanted it for the others who had survived. She said, ‘‘This is not the first time girls have been burned alive in the city. Every week I must learn of the untimely death of one of my sister workers. Every year thousands of us are maimed. The life of men and women is so cheap and property is so sacred. There are so many of us for one job it matters little if 146 of us are burned to death’’(Wikipedia). She was a feminist who worked her life out for what was just. Her words were harsh and full of anger. She felt that time was going back to slavery again where blacks were condemned to work for long hours where whipping was frequent, but rather at this time it was not only blacks,but rather all low class who had to work for long hours and body pain was usual. Her words reflect that this issue has been happening for a long time and the efforts to stop it haven’t been

After finding out about Emmett Till’s tragic death and the many others who were slaughtered and tortured she became a student activist and joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) organization to fight for their own

The recollection of the Black Panther Party’s legacy more than often remains to linger on in the collective memory as a group of armed leather- clad radicals of the 1960’s. Although this memory is true, the Black Panther Party in actuality had more substance than just their attire. They were a political organization that reinforced human rights, they were leaders of self-defense against a police state that relentlessly brutalized black bodies, and caretakers of poor black communities that were receiving little to no attention by the state. They were an organization in bloom looking to create solidarity and heal within the black community by whatever means necessary. The Black Panther Party is believed to be a revolutionary force that has helped shape movements of today. Within this analysis we would like to unearth the history of the Black Panther Party including its origins, their struggles, ultimate demise, and contributions to movements of the contemporary world. We feel that it is important to rediscover this information because most of the occurrences that had appeared in the 1960’s against black bodies continues to this day. It is our duty to learn from our teachers, like those members of the Black Panther Party, in order to educate ourselves on how to create a better future. It all started in the fall of 1966 in Oakland California when two young intelligent black male students of Merritt Junior College questioned America’s ethics. These two young

It shows that she sees her entire race as a family. She goes on to say, “ My name is Assata Shakur (slave name joanne chesimard), and i am a revolutionary. A Black revolutionary. By that i mean that i have declared war on all forces that have raped our women, castrated our men, and kept our babies empty-bellied.” Assata Shakur is saying that she changed her name to show that she is going away from the name that was given to her ancestor’s through oppression. She goes on with her speech saying that the government is the true criminal and have accused Assata and her movement to terrorism, “It should also be clear to us by now who the real criminals are. Nixon and his crime partners have murdered hundreds of Third World brothers and sisters in Vietnam, Cambodia, Mozambique, Angola, and South Africa.” Using her position as a Black Liberation Army leader, she has the advantage of power and stance to persuade others to

What comes to mind when you think of the Black Panther Party? Do you even know who the Black Panthers really were? They helped transform the lives of many African Americans in the U.S and helped empower the community. The Black Panther has a huge background of history, goals, and beliefs. Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale from Oakland, California founded the Panthers in 1966. Initially, they were an African American self defense force and were highly influenced by Malcolm X’s beliefs. The Panthers had many goals such as;freedom, protecting blacks from police brutality, and helping African Americans obtain a jobs. Despite the negative stereotypes of the Black Panthers as people who ran around with guns, fighting police, they were a major group during the Civil Rights Movement because they practiced self defense, established revolutionary socialism, and stimulated Malcolm X's influence. In the following I will discuss the successful changes the Black Panther Party, had on the African American community during the civil rights movement.

She was idealized by every young African American girl in the 70's. She produced number one hits one after the other and became a social icon.