Black Power

“Say it loud—I’m black and I’m proud!”

— Released in 1968, James Brown’s hit single was recorded with young people from Watts and Compton.

Frustrated by the slow rate of progress and the seeming failure of nonviolence as a tactic, many black activists became more radical as the black power movement gained strength. Activist Stokely Carmichael explained that the movement was “a call for black people in this country to unite, to recognize their heritage, to build a sense of community. It is a call for black people to define their own goals, to lead their own organizations.”

The Black Panther Party, founded in 1966, soon became symbolic of the growing black power movement. The Black Panthers supported militant actions to combat inequality, such as carrying guns to monitor and resist police brutality. In addition to their confrontational style and inflammatory speeches, the Black Panthers focused on economic disparity and provided community services, including free health care and meals. In 1968, co-founder Bobby Seale wrote in his book Seize the Time, “Working-class people of all colors must unite against the exploitative, oppressive ruling class. So let me emphasize again—we believe our fight is a class struggle and not a race struggle.” By 1968, there were Black Panther Party chapters in 25 cities. They had also begun to forge alliances with groups representing other minority communities, such as the Young Lords, a former Chicago street gang that was now focused on improving conditions for Puerto Ricans in the United States.

Controversial from the start, the Black Panthers infuriated conservatives, alienated moderate civil rights advocates, and were considered a threat by the FBI; however, their activism galvanized left-wing support.

Black Panther Party members, 1968, standing outside the courthouse during Huey Newton's trial

In February 1968, a "Free Huey" rally was held in Oakland, CA, in support of Huey Newton, a Black Panther leader who had been arrested following a shooting incident in which a police officer died and Newton was wounded. At the rally, Seale made a speech that included the Panthers' Ten Point Program, which he and Newton had drafted in 1966.

Read the Black Panthers' Ten Point Program, and consider why the Panthers gained support from some and were considered a threat by others.

Reading: Excerpt from Bobby Seale's "Free Huey Rally" Speech

Take Notes:

Why did the Black Panther platform attract followers, and who were they? What made the Black Panthers so threatening to government officials?