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27 Important Facts Everyone Should Know About

The Black Panthers
Power to the people.
02/18/2016 05:32 pm ET | Updated Oct 18, 2016
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Lilly Workneh
Taryn Finley
Black Voices Senior Editor, The Huffington

Post
Black Voices Associate Editor, The Huffington

Post
The Black Panther Party was founded fifty years ago and still, many
misconceptions about its revolutionary work run rampant.
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution, a documentary by Stanley
Nelson which aired on PBS Tuesday, shined a necessary light on the
contributions, convictions and struggles of members in the party. Nelsons
informative film took a deep dive into discussing the truth behind the Black
Panthers and underscored the heavy institutional backlash the liberation
movement received from police and the government.
From the groups radical inception in 1966 to its dissolve in 1982, here are a
few important things you must know to better understand the Black Panthers.
1. The Black Panthers central guiding principle was an

undying love for the people.
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David Fenton via Getty Images
The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, otherwise known as the Black
Panther Party (BPP), was established in 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby
Seale. The two leading revolutionary men created the national organization as a
way to collectively combat white oppression. After constantly seeing black
people suffer from the torturous practices of police officers around the nation,
Newton and Seale helped to form the pioneering black liberation group to help
build community and confront corrupt systems of power.
2. The Black Panthers outlined their goals in a 10 point

program.
Barton Silverman via Getty Images
The Black Panthers established a unified platform and their goals for the party
were outlined in a 10 point plan that included demands for freedom, land,
housing, employment and education, among other important objectives.
3. Black Panthers monitored the behavior of the police

in black communities.
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Jack Manning via Getty Images
In 1966, police violence ran rampant in Los Angeles and the need to protect
black men and women from state-sanctioned violence was crucial. Armed Black
panther members would show up during police arrests of black men and
women, stand at a legal distance and surveil their interactions. It was to make
sure there was no brutality, Newton said in archival footage, as shown in the
documentary. Both Black Panther members and officers would stand facing one
another armed with guns, an act that agreed with the open carry law in
California at the time. These confrontations, in many ways, allowed the
Panthers to protect their communities and police the police.
4. The party grew tremendously and drew attention in

cities everywhere.
The partys goal in increasing membership wasnt aimed at recruiting church

goers, as explained in the documentary, but to recruit the everyday black
person who faced police brutality. When black people across the nation saw the
Panthers efforts in the media, especially after they stormed the state capitol
with guns in Sacramento in 1967, more men and women became interested in
joining. The group also took on issues like housing, welfare and health, which
made it relatable to black people everywhere. The party grew rapidly and
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didnt instill a screening process because a priority, at the time, was to recruit as
27people
Important
Facts
many
as possible.
Everyone Should Know About The Black P
5. Free Huey became an infectious rallying cry

following Huey Newtons arrest in 1967.
In 1967, Newton was charged in the fatal shooting of a 23-year-old police

officer, John Frey, during a traffic stop. After the shooting, Newton was
hospitalized with critical injuries while handcuffed to a gurney in a room that
was heavily guarded by cops. As a result of his hospitalization and arrest,
Eldrige Cleaver took leadership of the Panthers and demanded that Huey must
be set free. The phrase was eventually shortened to Free Huey, two words
which galvanized a movement demanding for Hueys release.
6. The Black Panthers affirmed black beauty, which

helped to attract more members.
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The sight of black men and women unapologetically sporting their afros, berets
and leather jackets had a special appeal to many black Americans at the time. It
reflected a new portrayal of self for black people in the 1960s in a way that
attracted many young black kids to want to join the party some even wrote
letters to Newton asking to join. The panthers didnt invent the idea that black
is beautiful, former member Jamal Joseph said in Stanleys documentary. One
of the things that Panthers did was [prove] that urban black is beautiful.
7. The Black Panthers understood the media and

effectively used it to their advantage.
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Sacramento Bee via Getty Images
The Black Panthers furthered their agenda by appealing to what they believed
journalists and photographers sought after to cover in the news. They were
able to establish their legitimacy as a voice of protest, journalist Jim Dunbar
said in the documentary. They leveraged their voices and imprinted their
images in newspapers, magazines and television programs.
8. The Black Panthers Party launched the Free Breakfast

For Children program.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The party saw a serious need to nurture black kids in disenfranchised

communities, so they spent about two hours each morning cooking breakfast
for children in poor neighborhoods before school. Studies came out saying that
children who didnt have a good breakfast in the morning were less attentive in
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school and less inclined to do well and suffered from fatigue, former party
27 Important
Facts
Should
Know
member
David Lemieux
said in Everyone
the documentary.
We just
simply About
took that The
Black P
information and a program was developed to serve breakfast to children, he

added. We were showing love for our people. The party served about 20,000
meals a week and it became the partys most successful program of their 35
survival programs.
9. The party had enemies in high places, including

former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover who launched
COINTELPRO.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover feared the rise of the Black Panther Party
so he created COINTELPRO, a secret operation, to discredit black nationalists
groups. The Counterintelligence Programs purpose was to expose, disrupt,
misdirect, discredit or otherwise neutralize black nationalists activities. We
were followed everyday, we were harassed, our phones were tapped, our
families were harassed, former Black Panther member Ericka Huggins, whose
parents were visited by the FBI, said in the film. Hoover regularly sent police
officers letters encouraging them to come up with new ways to cripple the Black
Panther Party. Though COINTELPRO didnt make the party their only targets,
245 out of 290 of their actions were directed at the Black Panthers.
10. Hoover feared the rising of a black messiah.
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Don Hogan Charles via Getty Images
Hoover feared any growth of the movement and especially feared young white
allies who united with black activists to support the movement. Through
COINTELPRO, Hoover found ways to track, stalk and dig up information on the
party, including planting FBI Informants throughout the party. One of whom
happened to be William ONeal, who was the bodyguard for prominent Black
Panther member Fred Hampton.
11. Party members moved in together into Panther

Pads.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In response to COINTELPRO, members created community hubs called

Panther Pads. Some members stopped going home to protect their families,
so they stayed with each other instead. The Panther Pads had to have roundthe-clock security and a list of rotating responsibilities and, in turn, it helped to
create a stronger sense of community.
12. Black women spoke out, gained more recognition

and helped to power the movement.
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ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Black Panthers are often associated with its male members, but women
also played a pivotal role in the party. By the early 1970s, most of the Panthers
were women. Women such as Kathleen Cleaver (photographed here), Assata
Shakur, Elaine Browne and Angela Davis who wasnt an official member
took on leadership roles and had a huge influence on the direction of the party.
The Black Panther Party certainly had a chauvinist tone so we tried to change
some of the clear gender roles so that women had guns and men cooked
breakfast for children, Brown said in the documentary. Did we overcome it? Of
course we didnt. As I like to say we didnt get these brothers from revolutionary
heaven.
13. The Black Panthers helped to sustain the party by

selling a party newspaper, which boasted impressive
artwork.
The Panthers distributed a newspaper throughout different cities that became

vital to the partys survival. They sold the paper for 25 cents, half of which went
to printing and the other half to different branches of the group. The paper,
which outlined their 10 point plan, reached people that the Panthers didnt have
physical access to. The paper also portrayed moving artwork which
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depicted the resilience of black lives.
14. MLKs assassination left a devastating impact on the

party.
Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images
Civil rights icon, Martin Luther King Jr., who consistently advocated for
non-violence and inspired many, was assassinated in 1968. His murder
triggered an overwhelming response from the Panthers. They had killed their
last chance for me to be peaceful with them, one former member said in the
documentary. They had killed their last chance for negotiation.
15. Seventeen-year-old Bobby Huttons killing by police

impacted many.
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New York Daily News Archive via Getty Images
Eldridge Cleavers response to Kings death was to have members attack the
police. The younger members with the youngest being 17-year-old Bobby
Hutton, were armed and ready, despite the older members disagreeing with the
idea. After being cornered by the police in a basement, Cleaver instructed the
group to surrender by taking off all of their clothes so the police could see they
were unarmed. However, Hutton was embarrassed so he only took off his shirt.
Hutton exited the house with his hands in the air and was immediately gunned
down by cops. He was one of the first members of the party to be killed by the
police.
16. Eldridge Cleaver moved to Algeria and focused on

expanding the party outreach abroad.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cleaver was expected to turn himself in shortly after Huttons death but he fled
the country. He moved to Algeria and opened an international chapter. As a
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result of the chapter, the Panthers were able to forge relationships with North
27 Important
Should
Know
About
Koreans,
Vietnamese, Facts
Chinese Everyone
and several African
liberation
movements.
The Black P
These countries shared a similar anti-American sentiment with the Panthers.
17. David Hilliard temporarily took over command of the

party.
New York Daily News Archive via Getty Images
With both Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in prison and Eldrige Cleaver in
Algeria, the party was left without a leader. So on September 28, 1968, David
Hillard, a prominent party member at the time, became the partys Chief of Staff
in the interim before heading to trial a year later in connection to charges from
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Huttons police killing.
18. The FBI doubled down as a direct threat against the

Black Panthers, who they perceived to be a terrorist
organization.
Boston Globe via Getty Images
After President Richard Nixons election in 1968, Black Panther party members
said his administration gave Hoover even more of a sense to oppress without
restriction. Shortly after, Hoover publicly identified the Black Panther Party as
the no. 1 threat against the United States. His statement, which he made during
Americas involvement in the Vietnam war, ignited immediate fury. Following his
damning public statement of the party, the FBI took a more proactive approach
to what they considered to be a terrorist organization. In the film, Black
Panthers said that the FBI manipulated police, who raided homes and sparked
shootouts that led to the arrests of countless black men and women.
19. The Panther 21 set a new precedent among party

members.
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On April 2, 1969, 21 leading Black Panther members in New York were arrested
and accused of charges related to terrorist activity. The men faced up to 360
years in prison and extortionate bail amounts. Community members worked
together to raise money for legal fees, old footage in the documentary even
shows actress Jane Fonda hosting a fundraiser in her home. After a 13 month
trial and a 3-hour-long jury deliberation, the men were eventually acquitted.
20. The momentum of the party began to dwindle due to

growing hesitation on where the party was headed.
Harold Adler/Underwood Archives via Getty Images
While the acquittal of The Panther 21 was certainly celebrated, commitment to

the partys mission grew weak as did levels of engagement. Other arrests and
trials of Black Panthers angered many party members and consumed a lot of
their energy, which, in turn, discouraged potential members. Nobody wanted to
go near a party that was so hot, one former Black Panther said in the film.
21. Bobby Seales trial helped give way for Fred

Hampton to lead.
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Chicago Tribune via Getty Images
Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale was arrested in Chicago in

September 1969 on charges for conspiracy to riot, and was later also tried on
murder charges of a Panther member who was suspected to be an FBI
informant. During his trial, Seale demanded to represent himself and insisted on
declaring his rights in court. In response, the judge ordered for a gag to be tied
around his mouth and that he chained to his chair. During his days in court,
protests erupted demanding the court to Stop The Trial. It was during this time
when Fred Hampton grew prominence for his well-admired leadership and
empowering public speeches during protests. You can jail a revolutionary but
you cant jail the revolution, he once famously said. Hampton was a voice of
racial unity and he helped to build a broader Black Panther base in Chicago. He
even expanded his coalition to include both hispanic and white activists who
shared the same or a similar mission.
22. Police raided the home of Fred Hampton, killing him

and another party member.
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Spencer Grant via Getty Images
On December 5, 1969, police raided the home of Fred Hampton and fired
somewhere between 82 to 99 gun shots, which left both Hampton and Mark
Clark, a party leader from Peoria, dead. Police claim their decision to open fire
was justified but Black Panther Party members, as some expressed in the film,
adamantly believe Hampton was a target and that the shooting was set up by
the FBI. A federal investigation conducted after the shooting found that only one
shot was fired by the Panthers. This was a shoot in, not a shoot out, one party
member described in the documentary. Meanwhile, William ONeal, an FBI
informant, reportedly received a monetary bonus.
23. The LAPD opened fire against the Black Panthers,

which led to a massive shootout.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Just four days following Hamptons death in Chicago, police in Los Angeles
raided the citys Black Panther office. This happened during a time when the
racial climate in the country had severely intensified and police established
themselves as the dominate force. On December 8, 1969, 300 SWAT members
initiated a military-style attack against the Black Panthers. Refusing to back
down, Panthers fired back, leading to a massive showdown that lasted for five
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hours, with 5,000 rounds of ammunition and 3 people from both sides wounded.
27 Important
Facts
Should
Know
About
The
All Black
Panther survivors
wereEveryone
taken into custody.
To this
day, and
despite
the
Black P
violence, many Black Panthers consider that moment a victory, including Wayne
Pharr, who gives a detailed and riveting account in the documentary, and his
recent book, of what exactly went down that day. After that all the main players
were in jail, Pharr said. Locked up.
24. Huey Newton was released from prison and he

subsequently renewed the focus to the movement.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nearly eight months after the violent takedown in L.A., crowds began to gather
in Oakland demanding Newtons acquittal and release from prison. On August
5, 1970, Newton was a free man and his prison release was celebrated by
people everywhere. Newton returned to the movement and renewed its focus to
survival programs like the Free Breakfast For Children program. However, this
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sparked some criticism from some members who bemoaned the move. People
27seeImportant
Facts
Everyone
Should
About The
didnt
it as a vehicle
for social
service, former
Black Know
Panther Kathleen
Black P
Cleaver said in the documentary. They saw it as a platform for radical political
change.
25. The Black Panther Party split due to growing

differences.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
With Newton recently released from jail, Bobby Seale incarcerated and Eldrige
still abroad in Algeria, the movements leadership dwindled. Some Black
Panthers chose a leader to follow while others just walked away. The party had
leaders not worthy of the dedication of their followers, historian Clayborne
Carson said in the film. Meanwhile, some suspected the divide was Hoovers
doing, as noted by historian Beverly Cage: This is part of what the
COINTELPRO operations were all about, she said.
26. The Black Panthers advocated for Bobby Seales

mayoral campaign in Oakland.
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ASSOCIATED PRESS
In 1972, Newton shut down Black Panther chapters across the county and
centralized the movement in Oakland. The numbers were dwindling and the
force of the party was dwindling so it only made sense to consolidate and see
what we could do with what we have, former Black Panther Elaine Brown said
in the film. That same year, party member Bobby Seale was released from
prison and later he ran for mayor of Oakland. Applying their political power at
the polls was a new approach for the movement and enthusiasm grew quickly.
Seale ran a strong campaign, which ultimately helped to register nearly 50,000
black voters in the city. Although he didnt win, the movement considered it a
success in some ways.
27. The movement slowly began to disintegrate, but the

legacies of those involved in the revolution are
long-lasting.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Following Seales loss, many said there was an empty void in the movement
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that eventually led to the closing of several national chapters. Around this time,
27 Important
Factswithdrew
Everyone
Should
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prominent,
original members
from the
party andKnow
NewtonAbout
was noted
to
Black P
express erratic behavior. Newton died in 1989, at the age of 47, after being shot
to death in Oakland. Eldrige, who lived until the age of 62, died in 1998
although his family never officially revealed his cause of death. Seale, now 79,
is among one of the many living Black Panthers who still speaks out about
some of the same issues and carries on the partys pioneering legacy.
Check out more powerful photos of the Black Panther Party in the slideshow
below:
Also on HuffPost
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27 Important Facts Everyone Should Know About The Black Panthers | The Huffington Post

27 Important Facts Everyone Should Know About The Black P

27 Important Facts Everyone Should Know About

Black Voices Senior Editor, The Huffington

Black Voices Associate Editor, The Huffington

1. The Black Panthers central guiding principle was an

27 Important Facts Everyone Should Know About The Black P

David Fenton via Getty Images

2. The Black Panthers outlined their goals in a 10 point

Barton Silverman via Getty Images

3. Black Panthers monitored the behavior of the police

27 Important Facts Everyone Should Know About The Black P

Jack Manning via Getty Images

4. The party grew tremendously and drew attention in

David Fenton via Getty Images

The partys goal in increasing membership wasnt aimed at recruiting church

Everyone Should Know About The Black P

5. Free Huey became an infectious rallying cry

David Fenton via Getty Images

In 1967, Newton was charged in the fatal shooting of a 23-year-old police

6. The Black Panthers affirmed black beauty, which

27 Important Facts Everyone Should Know About The Black P

David Fenton via Getty Images

7. The Black Panthers understood the media and

27 Important Facts Everyone Should Know About The Black P

Sacramento Bee via Getty Images

8. The Black Panthers Party launched the Free Breakfast

The party saw a serious need to nurture black kids in disenfranchised

information and a program was developed to serve breakfast to children, he

9. The party had enemies in high places, including

10. Hoover feared the rising of a black messiah.

27 Important Facts Everyone Should Know About The Black P

Don Hogan Charles via Getty Images

11. Party members moved in together into Panther

In response to COINTELPRO, members created community hubs called

12. Black women spoke out, gained more recognition

27 Important Facts Everyone Should Know About The Black P

13. The Black Panthers helped to sustain the party by

David Fenton via Getty Images

The Panthers distributed a newspaper throughout different cities that became

depicted the resilience of black lives.

27 Important Facts Everyone Should Know About The Black P

14. MLKs assassination left a devastating impact on the

Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images

15. Seventeen-year-old Bobby Huttons killing by police

27 Important Facts Everyone Should Know About The Black P

New York Daily News Archive via Getty Images

16. Eldridge Cleaver moved to Algeria and focused on

These countries shared a similar anti-American sentiment with the Panthers.

17. David Hilliard temporarily took over command of the

New York Daily News Archive via Getty Images

Huttons police killing.

27 Important Facts Everyone Should Know About The Black P

18. The FBI doubled down as a direct threat against the

Boston Globe via Getty Images

19. The Panther 21 set a new precedent among party

27 Important Facts Everyone Should Know About The Black P

David Fenton via Getty Images

20. The momentum of the party began to dwindle due to

Harold Adler/Underwood Archives via Getty Images

While the acquittal of The Panther 21 was certainly celebrated, commitment to

21. Bobby Seales trial helped give way for Fred

27 Important Facts Everyone Should Know About The Black P

Chicago Tribune via Getty Images