The Black Panther Party was a revolutionary and socialist organization founded by Huey P. Newton who earned a Ph.D. in Social Philosophy, and co-founder Bobby Seale in Oakland, California 1966. It had chapters in the Bay Area, Seattle, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia etc.
The Black Panthers even worked with
the White Panther Party founded in 1968 by Leni Sinclair and John Sinclair, and The Weather Underground group, formed at the
University of Michigan, lead by Bill Ayers in 1969. AKA the 'Weathermen', their political theory sought to make every struggle an anti-imperialist, anti-racist struggle; out of this came the Weathermen's critical concepts that would later be known as 'white privilege'
The Black Panthers had armed citizens monitor police officers to prevent police brutality of blacks from occurring in Oakland, California. The group initiated community social programs across the country, such as the Free Breakfast for Children Program, and People's Free Medical Centers. Their kitchen units across the US fed over 10,000 children every day before school.
Today: A group claiming to be the "New Black Panther Party" was formed in Dallas, Texas. The Huey Newton
Foundation, co-founder Bobby Seale, and original party members have insisted this group is illegitimate and they've strongly opposed it by stating "there is no new Black Panther Party"
See Also: Black Lives Matter, Ferguson Riots, Alicia Garza, Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman, Shaun King, Johnetta Elzie
"We named it
the Black Panther Party because the nature of a
black panther is that it never attacks. But if anyone attacks it or backs it into a corner, the panther comes up to wipe that aggressor or the attacker out,
absolutely, resolutely, wholly, thoroughly, and completely" -Bobby Seale
"White youth must choose sides now. They must either fight on the side of the oppressed, or be on the side of the oppressor” -Bernardine Dohrn
"You don't fight racism with racism, the best way to fight racism is with solidarity" -Bobby Seale
"Racism cannot be separated from capitalism" -Angela Davis