Who were the Black Panthers?

By You Can Too Program

The Context
● Despite the legal abolishment of slavery in the late 1800s, the early 1900s saw African Americans continue to
experience intense and unjustified violence and racism
● Black Americans were hunted and lynched by groups like the Klu Klux Klan, their homes burned down, and
their businesses looted.
● The work of activists helped to bring awareness to the plight of the Black American but as Black
communities fought to better their circumstances, the White majority fought even harder to keep Black
people oppressed
● After the assassination of Malcolm X in 1965 and the murder of an unarmed Black teen Matthew Johnson, by
San Francisco police, the Black Panthers were established
What we usually hear about the Black Panthers
● Traditional teaching of the Black Panthers
paints them as primarily violent group, eager
to instigate violence against law enforcement
and white communities
● Black Panthers did in fact get into many
violent encounters with law enforcement,
sometimes resulting in injury or death
● They preached a message of Black Power
and were not shy in arming themselves
publicly
Who were The Panthers, really?
● The goal of the Black Panther party was to empower African Americans through political advocacy and
reform. Get more Black people in positions of power so that we are present when policies that affect our
communities are being passed.
● The movement encouraged African Americans to not only vote but to run for public offices as well.
There were only 52 Blacks occupying the 500,000 available public offices across the country.
● The Panthers established community programs meant to benefit the community. They ran clothing
drives, distributed free breakfast, free medical clinics, emergency ambulance programs and rehab
centers--and that’s only a few of the services the Panthers ran for the Black community
● They were heavy advocates for empowerment through education and exposure. The more Blacks were
informed on the systems that hurt them, the more equipped they were to dismantle them
● The Panthers were not advocates of unnecessary violence, and actually expelled Eldridge Cleaver, a
prominent member, when he pushed for militant revolution
The Rise and Fall
● At their peak in the 1970s, the Black Panthers had offices in 68 cities and thousands
of members
● Their as governmental disapproval grew so did their popularity within the Black
community
● However, the government was determined to destroy the group. The U.S government
would plant informants within the group, slander the group in the media, and even
went as far as assassinating Fred Hampton, a prominent Black Panther leader, as he
slept in his room.
● The Panthers slowly dissipated as the 80s went on, with their leaders either dispersed,
imprisoned, or killed.
The Prominent
Panthers

Huey P. Newton Bobby Seale Elaine Brown Angela Davis

Leadership Figure (people are not sure
Founder Founder Former Chairwoman whether or not Davis was an official
member of the Panthers. But she was close
to the group
Prominent Panthers Pt. 2

Freddie Hampton
Stokely Carmichael Assata Shakur

Leadership Figure Former Prime Minister Activist and Leader

Discussion!
● Why do you believe people don’t hear more about the Black Panthers?
● Why when we do hear about the Panthers, is the violence associated with the Black
Panthers the only things we are taught?
● Why was the government so determined to dismantle the Black Panthers?
● What does Black Power mean to you?