Do the Black Panthers Still Exist?

There seems to be a lot of talk surrounding the Black Panther Party; with Beyonce during the super bowl making a radical statement with her own personal homage towards the black struggle; this was alongside the resurfacing of Stan Lee’s character the Black Panther getting his own movie it’s lead me to wonder, what happened to the Black Panther Party?

Founded by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in October of 1966, in Oakland CA, the Black Panther Party (BPP) was in essence a means of policing the police by militantly defending the humanity of the innocent black person (including nonblack minority communities), through the establishment of revolutionary socialism, mass organization, and community based programs.

Due to division and infiltration their party was dissolved in 1982. They were said to be “the greatest threat to the internal security of the country.” And prior the FBI was instructed to “neutralize” this “black nationalist hate group.” You can read a letter released by US officials stating these past intentions and [seemingly] unethical means of neutralizing the BPP, here.

The New Black Panther Party

The NBPP makes claims to be the successor of the original BPP; original members of the BPP have since denounced it, even successfully suing this party for the exploitation of their name, and defaming their former parties reputation, stating that the BPP “operated on love for black people, not hatred of white people…”[1]

Huey Newton and the Implications of the Black Panther Party

Huey Newton was later arrested, imprisoned, and eventually murdered, being fatally wounded by a shooter. I think the take aways here from Newton and the BPP are that trust is key to solidarity, solidarity is key to social change, intentional community always trumps individuality, and when you’re doing good and effectively making change happen you become a threat to your enemies.

Although the Black Panther Party has disseminated I don’t believe their mission or legacy has been lost. I see how far our country has come in the struggle for the oppressed persons justice and overall humanity and believe that their once marginalized set of beliefs is not slowly but steadily working its way into the mainstream means of thinking. It’s still bad, but there’s so much reasonable hope to inspire us to keep moving forward and operating out of our love for oppressed persons, as opposed to one’s hatred of privileged persons.

[1] Huey P. Newton Foundation. “There Is No New Black Panther Party”