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The Impact Of The Black Panther Party For Self Defence

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The Black Panther Party for Self Defence, later renamed ‘The Black Panther Party' was created by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in 1966 in Oakland. The purpose of the party was to protect minorities, primarily African Americans, by patrolling neighborhoods looking for instances of police brutality. The party was created after the ruling of Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka because economic and social inequality continued and limited the opportunities African Americans have. This along with the assassination of Malcolm X in 1965 caused the party to form. One of the most impactful and memorable acts by the party was in May 1967 when members of the group and Bobby Seale marched into the California State Legislature in Sacramento, fully armed. They were protecting the Mulford Act which was a bill that would make it illegal in California to carry weapons in public places and the party believed it to be a move to impede them from being able to combat police brutality. But later that same year when Huey Newton was arrested after he exchanged gunfire with police and an officer was killed they gained their national attention. They moved from being an Oakland-based organization to having chapters in 48 states and had support groups in at least a dozen countries. They influenced the beliefs and practices of Australian activist and the Vietnamese National Liberation Front. The Vanguard Party in the Bahamas very closely mirrored the party in their uniforms, ideology and their

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