Black Panther Party Reflection

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.

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.

On October 9, 2015 I went to the Smithsonian, National Museum of African Art along with attending the Million Man March down in Washington D.C. The experiences were wonderful and I was very excited to be at both events. While at the museum I took two tours one at 10 am that was led by a woman named Nkechi Obi. She talked about docent African Arts. The next one was shortly after at11 am that was led by a teen ambassador named Nicholas Stewart, who was very intelligent. He talked about numerous pieces throughout the museum that had some significance to younger minds so I found that very helpful. After the tour I spent some time down at the mall in DC in which faced the Capitol. This was the Million Man March that was a very popular event that brought out many people. I would describe both events as lectures that were powerful and time put to good use.

In “The Black Panther Platform: What We Want, What We Believe,” Huey Newton and Bobby Seale use intersectionality and contradiction to criticize several structural obstacles that facilitated unfair treatment of black people. Some of these injustices included inequalities in basic necessities like housing and education, the economic exploitation of black people in a capitalist society, and military, judicial, and police targeting of black people. Hegemonic ideologies had been dictating the lives of black people for centuries, and the Black Panther Party was a revolutionary socialist party founded in 1966 during the Civil Rights Movement that sought to promote the counter-hegemonic movement in favor of civil liberties. The ideologies that the

This rise of social reform movements in the mid-20th century, promoted progressive legislative reform, including ending age discrimination. Social groups, notably the gray panthers, raised on federal remedies. The Gray Panthers group is a national organization established to social justice for old people. In 1970, Maggie Kuhn founded this organization with success as a leader. It took this organization to expand significantly over her life, with 70,000 members in 85 different branches. The lobbying efforts of Gray Panthers helped to social justice for old people. As a result, in 1978, raised the mandatory retirement age to 70 instead of 65, as an amendment in the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967. Also, In 1981, the United Nations Economic and Social Council added a member from the Gray Panthers as a representative. In fact, in between 1970 to 1991, the workforce number over the age of 40 in the U.S. has increased from 39,689,000 to 53,940,000. Because of that, legislative and judicial developments in age discrimination in employment have occurred

The historical importance of the topic that I chose is it had a huge impact on the United States history, today. The Black Panther Party was responsible for starting many of the service programs that we continue to see. The service programs including clothing, housing, health clinics, and food service to name a few. The party sought out to improve the living conditions of those who were in poverty.

Mens and Women’s Basketball games at High Point University differ however they both build a sense of Panther Nation. To analyzing the symbols of Panther Nation I attended the Men’s Basketball game against Campbell and I played in the Women’s Basketball game against Liberty. During the Men’s game I was a spectator watching in communion with the fans around me; however during the Women’s game I was a player analyzing the action on the court. Watching the games as a fan and a player offered me different perspectives of the Panther Nation.

The Black Panther Party was one of the historic movements during the 1960’s also referred to African American revolutionary. Also, this party was formed by party Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland, California the year 1966. The purpose of the Black Panther Party was to patrol various neighborhoods in their communities to protect black residents from the racist and brutality of the police.

Nearly 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation (proclamation that set slaves free), African Americans around the United States felt just as chained as once when they walked of the boats that robbed them from their homeland and their families. Frankly due to laws such as Jim Crow. These laws inhabited African Americans across North American, but prominently in the southern states, a starkly unequal world of disfranchisement, segregation and various forms of oppression including race- inspired violence. In order to change way of their adopted homeland many leaders from within the African American community and beyond rose to prominence during this era called the Civil Rights. Now you may be familiar with the most named activist Martin Luther

In the fall of 1966, a new political organization, based out of Oakland, California came into view and started to gain acceleration. Seeking a new alternative to King’s non-violence and civil disobedience stance, the Black Panther Party was created. The party was known as the largest Black revolutionary organization created in history. Its founders Huey P. Newton, an African-American political activist and Bobby Seale (a political activist as well). While attending the University of San Francisco School of Law, here is where Huey met Bobby Seale. The two were “involved with political groups at the school before they set out to create one of their own”. Along with Newton and seale the other original members of Panthers

The Black Panther Party was constructed after the creation of the KKK . The Black Panther Party is a spin off of the civil rights movement. They felt that the civil rights movement was too passive and they needed a better approach towards racism. Bobby Seale, Huey P. Newton, and Marriott Golose in 1966 in Oakland, California founded the movement to make a change in the African American community. Furthermore, the movement ended in 1982 but its legacy continues in the modern day and the Black Panther Party is still relevant today.

Who really knows about the Black Panther Party? Contrary to what many would believe, The Black Panther Party is not a group of animals. Instead it is a group of people who are tired of all the racism and inequality and decided to do something about it. That wasn't all they did, they are also know for all of the breakfast stands they set up for poor children who didn't get fed well. Unlike other groups fighting for equality, they believed in nonviolent movements.

When learning about the Black Panther movement, and how influential Fanon’s theory was in their fight, it gave me a more familiar situation to compare it to. Black Panther members Huey Newton and Bobby Seale were highly influenced by this theory of oppression and violence. While at Merrit College, Seale and Newton organized a Soul Students' Advisory Council, and was recognized as the first unit to call for African American studies. Their parting of ways with the council occurred when they became unwilling to comply with restrained views after wanting to bring on armed youths in remembrance of Malcolm X’s birthday. They were influenced by his words and theory behind consciousness. His ideas played an instrumental role in the Civil Rights and

The symbol to represent Black Power was a geode. I chose this because I think that the majority of the community looked at the Black Panther group as dangerous and destructive, just like a geode looks ugly and distractive on the outside. Also, just like a geode there are many things that the Black Panthers, and the whole Black Power movement in general did to benefit their communities. I think this connects with a geode because when you finally crack open a geode and look inside you'll find beautiful crystals that make the world a prettier place. I think this connects with number 8 of the Black Panther platform, “We want freedom for all black men held in federal, state, county and city prisons and jails.”-Newton & Bobby Seale I think this

When approaching which event to select for the requirement, it seemed it could not have been better timing for The Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The Revolution documentary to air. It had been in the same week, debates and circling campus and social media regarding the halftime show with the performance by Beyonce with dancers that resembles the female members of the Black Panther Party. The performance was also a reference towards the fact that it was Black History Month along the recent #Black Lives Matter movement which is still in progress concerning police brutality and systematic racism. By looking at the performance, I did not think anything more of it than being a performance; however on social media, many did not appreciate the performance and labelling the inclusion of the black panthers as reverse racism. People presented the point that the black panther party could be equated to the Ku Klux Klan, due to my own ignorance, I felt compelled to agree. Being multiracial and growing up in mainly white spaces, I was not exactly educated on the political party or their accomplishments, I was informed that it was an anti white party. Luckily, the RiverRun Film Festival that would provide me with the impression necessary about the party, so with that came a feeling of excitement.Although there were not many multiracial people in the room, I was not offended or uncomfortable since my motive was to attain knowledge rather than a sense of belonging. The interviews and factual