Black Panthers

Essay #1: The Black Panther Party

The Civil rights movement of the 1960's produced a number of activist groups but none so controversial and greatly misunderstood as The Black Panther Party. The party, founded by classmates Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in 1966 in the city of Oakland, was created to further the movement of black liberation. (www.Wikipedia.org)

Though the Black Panther Party used measures that many would consider extreme, at the heart of their mission were many worthy causes. These goals were outlined in what was known as "The Ten Point Program". The ten points listed were not excessive; in fact they were rights that should be granted to every American and for that matter every human being. These points as outlined by War Against the Panthers, by founder Huey P. Newton are:

1. We want Freedom. We want power to determine the destiny of our black community. 2. We want full employment for our people.

3. We want an end to the robbery by the capitalists of our black community.

4. We want decent housing fit for the shelter of human beings.

5. We want education for our people that exposes the true nature of this decadent American society. We want education that teaches us our true history and our role in society.

6. We want all black men to be exempt from military service.

7. We want an immediate end to Police brutality and murder of black people.

8. We want freedom for all black men held in federal state county and city prisons and jails.

9. We want all black people brought to trial to be tried in court by a jury of their peer group or people from their black community, as defined by the constitution of the United States.

10. We want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice and peace. (www.marxists.org)

As the reader of these Ten Points can see most of the declarations are things that any human being deserves. These are worthy and important points that would help raise the black community to the level other Americans were already enjoying at the time.

When talking about the Black Panthers little is often said about the positive aspects that they contributed to the Black community. One of the greatest achievements was the initiation of the Free Breakfast for Children Program. This program, initially run out of a San Francisco church, fed thousands of children throughout the party's history. (www.wikipedia.org) Also stated by the Panthers were free services for clothing transportation, medical clinics, drug and alcohol treatment and testing for sickle cell anemia.

Though the Black Panther Party was controversial and used at times militant procedures to accomplish their goals, it is important to remember the worthy purpose these goals represented. Without the Black Panthers initiatives in the Black Community, many of these causes would not receive the attention and focus that has continued to be relevant even today.

Essay #2: The Harlem Renaissance:

"Harlem is vicious