The Black Panther Party

    The Black Panther Party was one of the most influential political groups in history.  It was founded as a response to the extreme racism and police brutality in post-war America.  After coming back from war, black Americans still experienced extreme hatred despite what they were promised overseas.  It was also founded in response to the assassination of Malcolm X, who is widely credited with co-opting the Black Power movement.  They were founded by two Oakland locals, Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton.  They were both very interested in communism, and would later utilize communism in the expression of their core values.
     The panthers differ from the works of Dr. King in that they realize the use of violence may be neccessary to achieve racial justice.  In the words of Malcolm X, “Concerning nonviolence, it is criminal to teach a man not to defend himself when he is the constant victim of brutal attacks.”  They believed that they should not be nonviolent when no one is telling their oppressors the same thing.  They are constantly under attack, and they should be able to fight back.
     The most famous product of the Panthers were their Ten Point Plan.  This represented their core values - an end to police brutality, economic liberation of black people, adequate housing for black people, representation of black people and government, and monetary reparations for centuries of oppression.  It also demands for black people to be exempt from military service.  This was meant to reflect how unfair it is to be fighting for a country that actively kills black people for being alive.  They are also avid supporters of black nationalism, which focused on economic liberation from capitalism and a sense of pride within the black community.
     The works of Marx and Lenin clearly influenced the formation of the Panthers.  Throughout their speeches, works, and protests they show their support for the disruption and dismantling of corrupt white capitalist society.  They see the connection between capitalism and white supremacy - white supremacy tells black people they are nothing, and capitalism allows for white people to keep them in poverty.  Poverty creates violence, which is then reprimanded by extreme police brutality.  Black people are then put in jail due to unfair juries, and are then turned into legal slaves at the hands of the American court justice system.
     Obviously, the Panthers were not popular among government officials.  Most members were jailed, fined, put on FBI watchlists, or combinations of the above.  An FBI bureau, COINTELPRO, described them as a "black nationalist hate group".  They saw danger in radical racial justice, and thought that the unrest the Panthers would inevitably cause would do more harm than good.
     Black women also had a key role in the Panthers.  Women such as Kathleen Cleaver, Angela Davis, and Erika Huggins actively fought for the rights of black women, who were victims of both white capitalist society and male-dominated society.  However, it was not always this way.  In the first stages of the party, the Panthers were openly misogynistic and reinforced toxic masculinity.
    The Black Panthers not only changed the course of black America, they also were one of the first prominent groups to draw the connection between whiteness and capitalism, and therefore a network of oppression.