Black Panther Party Movement Successful

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Was the Black Panther Party Movement Successful? The Black Panther Party was one of the most influential black movement organizations of the late 1960s and to others more criminal than political. The group was formed in California in 1966 and they played a short but important role in the civil rights movement for 16 years (1966-1982). The founders of the Black Panther Party were Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland, California. They both participated in peaceful protests before starting up the Black Panthers. Newton and Seale originally met on the campus of Merritt Junior College, and it was at Merritt that the Black Panther Party was founded. You would have never thought that the leaders of the Black Panther Party were educated because…show more content…
The Panthers were protesting the consideration of a bill that would have made carrying a loaded gun within city limits a crime (Abron, 1986). They protested because the proposed legislation would adversely effect the Panther Police Patrol. The group entered the assembly carrying their weapons, an incident that gained national attention. The police arrested Seale and five other Party members. Another incident occurred a few months after the protest, a Panther Police shoot-out erupted, leaving one police officer dead and Huey Newton wounded. Newton’s detainment of the police on murder charges became a rallying point for the Black Panther Party, which resulted in national visibility and status (Harris, 2001). As the Black Panther Party became increasingly stronger in the Oakland ghetto with new branches sprang up in other major metropolitan areas. In the span of two years, the Black Panther Party grew from a local to a national organization. The Party had a membership of over 2,000 and 32 chapters in 15 states (Harris, 2001). Chapters were organized in Chicago, New York, Washington D.C., Des Moines, and other areas where high numbers of blacks were located. The Black Panthers were universal, attempting to execute their ten point program, and constantly advocating picking up the gun for self-defense. As membership grew, the organization implemented community development projects such as the Free Breakfast Program, Liberation Schools, and Medical Clinics. These programs increased Party membership and support from the black community across the country. The first Panther’s Free Breakfast for School Children Program is initiated at St. Augustine’s Church in Oakland. By the end of 1969, the Panthers set up kitchens in cities across the nation, feeding over 10,000 children every day
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