in Oakland, they might stop the Party dressed in all black. you and begin sharing their Ten They wore black berets, a black Black Panthers Point Plan. leather jacket, a dark shirt and Huey Newton and Bobby Seale started an organi- black pants, and usually had zation to help Africans and stop police violence. TEN POINT PLAN shinny black shoes. They also n Oakland, two men met at Merritt carried handguns and shotguns ICollege in 1966, to share their 1. We want freedom. We want power as they moved through the ideas about how to help Africans in to determine the destiny of our Black community, declaring with Oakland. The two men were Huey P. Community. fi sts raised, "Power to the Newton and Bobby Seale. They 2. We want full employment for our People!" had known each other for months people. and one day they decided to form 3. We want an end to the robberyThey quickly expanded beyond a new organization. They sat down by the white man of our BlackOakland, and soon there were for an hour and wrote the ideas for Community. Black Panther chapters all their new group - their ideas formed 4. We want decent housing, over America in cities such as the "Ten Point Plan", and they shelter of human beings. Chicago, Detroit, and New York. fi t forThe chapters worked together, took the name, the “Black Panther 5. We want education that teaches Party for Self Defense”. It was no us our true history and our role in andthe shared information and programs. Bobby Seale and Huey coincidence that they started just present-day society. one year after Malcolm X was assassinated. 6. We want all black men to be exempt Newton organized the The Black Panther Party They believed they were continuing his from military service. Black Panther Party in included both men and women, work. 7. Oakland, California in We want an immediate endand to they established a number police brutality and murder of black 1966. of programs to help Africans Each of them took a title, Huey Newton was people. the Minister for Self Defense, and Bobby in cities. They started a free 8. We want freedom for all black men Seale was the Chairman. Huey Newton was breakfast program, gave away held in federal, state, county bagsand city of groceries, and opened not a church minister, but “Minister” was a prisons and jails. name they often used to identify people by 9. We want all black people when their duties. brought to trial to be tried in court by a jury of their peer group or people from Their Ten Point Plan was printed out and their black communities, as de distributed throughout Oakland and other the Constitution of the United States. cities, such as Richmond and Berkeley. fi ned by Their fi rst recruit was a 16 year old high 10. We want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice and peace. school student named Bobby Hutton, who was nicknamed Lil’ Bobby, and became The members chose the panther the Party’s Treasurer. Soon the three of as their symbol, because it is them began sharing their information with an animal that only attacks to The Panthers recruited hundreds of everyone. If you were at a park or walking protect itself. The members of young Black men. page 18 Ile Omode School Black Power Movement page 19 free health clinics, where people could see when they were attacked by a doctor for free. The chapter in Southern police. The two ran into a California served over 1,700 free meals each nearby basement, and Eldridge week! They started a newspaper which was Cleaver was shot in the foot, run by Eldridge Cleaver, their Minister of but the police kept shooting Information. But they were best known for and throwing tear gas. Tear “policing the police”. gas is a weapon that is used by the police. It is contained In Oakland, and other big cities in the North in a can, and when it lands gas Geronimo Pratt, a and California, police would often harrass fi lls the room. The gas causes a Panther “girls” at a demonstration. former Minister of Infor- and assault black people. Some Blacks were person’s eyes to burn, and it is When a person moves to even killed by police, and nothing was done. painful to breathe. mation, spent 27 years another country for fear of being This angered many Africans, and the Black in prison for a crime he arrested, it is called living in Panthers worked to stop police brutality. Eldridge Cleaver and Lil' Bobby did not committ. The exile. Many moved to Cuba, and Similar to the Deacons they would patrol eventually surrended to police. government was trying today there are former Panthers the cities to protect the Black community. While standing next to the to kill or imprison Black who live in other countries. If The Panthers would stop near any police police cars they were ordered to Panther leaders. they try to return to the United offi cer who was attempting to harass or run to another police car about States they would be arrested. arrest a Black person. 20 feet away. Eldrige couldn’t So some have not seen their run, so they forced Lil’ Bobby families in over 30 years! The Panthers carried law books to make to run. When he was about 10 sure the police were following the law. feet away, the police began to The FBI would send Black Soon the police became angry at these shoot him in the back for no spys to join the group. Black men for challenging them. But it reason. Lil’ Bobby, who was still These spys would tell the FBI wasn’t just the police who noticed them. a teenager, died on the street in everything the Panthers were The president, the Congress and federal Oakland, killed by police offi cers planning as they tried to destroy law enforcement groups, such as the FBI who were supposed to protect the organization. The Panther The Panther’s Free and CIA were scared of the Black Panthers, the community. Party began to collaspe as their Breakfast program fed and began a plan to attack, destroy, and kill leaders were killed, exiled or thousands of children the Panthers. The FBI wanted to destroy This continued in every city imprisoned. The few remaining from poor families. all Black leaders and prevent Black groups where Panthers tried to Panthers disagreed about what from growing. organize. Some members to do next. Some thought that were falsely accused of crimes war against the government Soon many of their leaders, such as and were sentenced to long Huey was the only answer, and they terms in prison. One Panther, Newton, Bobby Seale, Eldridge formed the Black Liberation spent 25 Cleaver, Elain Brown, Angela Davis Geronimo Pratt Army, but most decided to and others were being attacked and put in years in prison. Others didn’t try to continue their work by prison. One night in 1968 Eldridge Cleaver wait to get arrested, or escaped participating in politics. and Lil’ Bobby were driving to visit a friend from prison and left America. page 20 Ile Omode School Black Power Movement page 21 Where are they today? What happened to the leaders and organizations that were so important to the Black Power Move- ment? Deacons for Defense Black Panther Party After 1967 there was less need The Black Panther Party for the Deacons. They showed essentially ended in the late Africans that self-defense was 1970’s. There have been efforts necessary and other groups and to restart a new group. Huey people began to practice self- P. Newton left the Panthers, defense along with nonviolent but did not do very well. He strategies. was killed in a drug dispute in Oakland. Bobby Seale and Nation of Islam Elaine Brown are still alive. Elijah Muhammad passed Both have written books. Elaine Bobby Seale ran for Bobby Seale ran for Mayor of Oakland away in 1975, when he was 77 Brown lives in France. mayor in 1973, and unsuccessfully in 1973. After Bobby Seale years old. The Nation of Islam Elaine Brown ran for the resigned from the Panthers, Elaine Brown was eventually directed by Geronimo Pratt was freed City Council in Oakland. became the fi rst woman to head the Black Minister Louis Farrakhan, in 1997 with help from attorney Both were defeated, butPanther Party. She continued working in who organized the Million Man Johnnie Cochran. Other former they were successful inlocal politics, and the Panthers efforts to March in Washington, D.C. Panthers, such as Assata getting more Africans organizeto Africans to vote, eventually led to in 1995. There are mosques Shakur still live in exile. She the fi rst African mayor in Oakland in 1977, vote. in almost every major city in has been living in Cuba ever Lionel Wilson, as well as Black mayors in America. since her escape from jail in other cities in America. 1986. SNCC The Black Panther Party showed Africans SNCC began to collaspe after that they could take care of themselves, 1967, and stopped operating and they could fi ght the police. Although it around 1971. Kwame Ture didn’t end well for the Black Panther Party moved to Guinea in West Africa they demonstrated another another form of in 1968. Kwame Ture worked Black Power, and changed the way police to build the All African People’s treat Africans. Many of the free programs Revolutionary Party until his the Panthers began, later were continued death in 1998. The party is still by the government. active today, and holds a rally every year in California. page 22 Ile Omode School Black Power Movement page 23