What Was the Black Panther Party?
The Black Panther forum is part of a month-long program about the Black Panther Party that includes a photo exhibit and film series. The events – all of which are free and open to the public – are sponsored by Ready for the World, UT’s international and intercultural initiative to enhance the culture of diversity on campus; the Central Program Council’s Visual Arts Committee, which strives to bring art exhibits from around the U.S. to campus; the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences; and the UT vice president’s Office of Equity and Diversity. Other sponsors include the UT Black Cultural Center, College of Law, College of Arts and Sciences, and the Highlander Research and Education Center in New Market, Tenn. For more information on the Black Panther Film Series and a complete events schedule, visit http://www.utk.edu/news/article.php?id=4501.
In the years following the end of slavery in America, a number of black political organizations were formed. Some promoted the idea of black Americans returning to their African homelands. Others, such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), favored integration and equal rights legislation. During the 1960s, however, a black activist organization called the Black Panthers openly called for an armed revolution against the oppressive white culture they held responsible for perpetuating racial inequality. In the early 1960s, a voters’ rights group in Alabama called the Lowndes County Freedom Organization used black panthers as a symbol of black empowerment. The group ultimately disbanded, but not before influencing a young black Louisiana native named Huey P. Newton. Later, when living in Oakland, California, Newton decided to form his own black activist organization with the help of several friends, including Bobby Seale and David Hilliard. In 1966, the
The Black Panther Party was a progressive political organization that stood in the vanguard of the most powerful movement for social change in America since the Revolution of 1776 and the Civil War: that dynamic episode generally referred to as The Sixties. It is the sole black organization in the entire history of black struggle against slavery and oppression in the United States that was armed and promoted a revolutionary agenda, and it represents the last great thrust by the mass of black people for equality, justice and freedom. The Party’s ideals and activities were so radical, it was at one time assailed by FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover as “the greatest threat to the internal security of the United States.” And, despite the demise of the Party, its history and lessons remain so challenging and controversial that established texts and media would erase all reference to the Party from American history. The Black Panther Party was the manifestation of the vision of Huey P. Newton, the s
