What the Black Panther Party did for you

Abstract

In October of 1966 Bobby Seale and Huey Newton founded the Black Panther Party for Self Defense, a socialist, multi-racial, black nationalist group that endeavored to awaken the black community and unify it in activism against the 'pigs' and political figures that disenfranchised blacks. Unlike other black nationalist groups, the Black Panther Party for Self Defense was an organization that unified communities and sought to seek out against whites and black alike that held the community down rather than lifting it up. The Panthers carried an image of brutality for their many violent encounters with law enforcement and direct ties to the doctrines of Karl Marx and Mao. It makes sense that this type of organization would have a bad reputation, considering the borderline brainwashing ideologies. Why, though, would it have office buildings, and several eager members? An organization with so many moving parts cannot be boiled down the simple concept of "kill whitie," as Bobby White, a former Panther, asserted in an interview. In addition to taking the law into their own hands, members of the party provided community-oriented services such as the breakfast program, medical services, and discouraging the community's youth from participating in drug use and prostitution.