The Panthers

Home , Afeni Shakur, Connie Matthews, Eldridge Cleaver, Kathleen Cleaver, Stokely Carmichael

THE PANTHERS

Edited by Ptlilip S. Foner

DA CAPO PRESS • New York Contents

Foreword by Clayborne Carson ix Preface by Julian Bond xix Introduction xx Black Panther National Anthem xl

1. BUCK PANTHER PARTY PLATFORM AND PROGRAM 1 RULES OF THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY What We Want/What We Believe 2 Rules 4

2. THE BLACK PANTHER: VOICE OF THE PARTY 7 The Black Panther: Mirror of the People 8 A Pig 14 Black Lawyers 14 Revolutionary Art/Black Liberation 16 On Violence 19 Free by Any Means Necessary (poem) 20 Correcting Mistaken Ideas 21 The Power of the People 23 Black Child's Pledge 24 In White America Today 25 Editorial Statement 26 Revolutionary Letter #15 (poem) Z6 The Genius of Huey Newton 27 Erica's Poem 29 The Revolutionary Spirit of Antonio Maceo 30 A Black Panther Song (poem) 31 To the Courageous Vietnamese People, Commemorating the Death of Ho Chi Minh 32 The Chicago 8 32 Pigs—Panthers 34 On Criticism of Cuba 37

3. HUEY P. NEWTON SPEAKS 39 In Defense of Self-Defense: Executive Mandate Number One 40 The Correct Handling of a Revolution 41 Functional Definition of Politics 45 vi THE BLACK PANTHERS SPEAK Message to "Free Huey Rally," Oakland Auditorium, February 17, 1968 47 Huey Newton Talks to the Movement About the Black Panther Party, Cultural Nationalism, SNCC, Liberals and White Revolutionaries 50 Message on the Peace Movement 67 To the R.N.A. 70 Prison, Where Is Thy Victory? 74

4. BOBBY SEALE SPEAKS 77 The Ten-Point Platform and Program of the Black Panther Party 78 Bobby Seale Explains Panther Politics: An Interview 81 Black Soldiers as Revolutionaries to Overthrow the Ruling Class 88 Bring It Home . 93

5. ELDRIDGE CLEAVER SPEAKS FROM EXILE 97 Message to Sister Erica Huggins of the Black Panther Party 98 The Black Man's Stake in Vietnam 100 An Open Letter to Stokely Carmichael 104 Eldridge Cleaver Discusses Revolution: An Interview from Exile 108 The Fascists Have Already Decided in Advance to Murder Chairman Bobby Seale in the Electric Chair: A Manifesto 117

6. DAVID HILUARD SPEAKS 121 The Ideology of the Black Panther Party 122 Black Student Unions 124 If You Want Peace You Got to Fight for It 128 Interview with CBS News, December 28, 1969 130

7. FRED HAMPTON SPEAKS 137 You Can Murder a Liberator, but You Can't Murder Liberation 138 Contents vii 8. BLACK PANTHER WOMEN SPEAK 145 Liberation and Political Assassination, by Kathleen Cleaver 146 On Cultural Nationalism, by Linda Harrison 151 The Struggle Is a World Struggle, by Connie Matthews 154 I Joined the Panthers, by Joan Bird 159 We Will Win: Letter From Prison by Afeni Shakur 161 A Word for Panther Parents, by Mrs. Jewel Barker 164

9. COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES 167 To Feed Our Children 168 Why the Free Breakfast? 169 Liberation Schools 170 The Youth Make the Revolution 171 People's Medical Care Center 173 Pocket Lawyer of Legal First Aid 176 In Memory of Dr. Martin Luther King 177 Petition Statement for Community Control of Police 179 Defend the Ghetto (leaflet) 180 Community Discussion Groups (leaflet) 181

10. BLACK PANTHERS IN COURT 183 Bobby Seale vs. Judge Hoffman 185 To Judge Murtagh: From the Panther 21 196 Closing Remarks to the Jury by Charles R. Garry in People of California v. Huey P. Newton 212

11. ALLIANCES AND COALITIONS 219 The Black Panther Party Stands for Revolutionary Solidarity 220 We Must Develop a United Front Against Fascism (leaflet) 222 On Establishing a United Front with Communists 223 SDS Resolution on the Black Panther Party 225 The Young Lords Organization on the Move: Interview with Rafael Viera 229 Young Lords Block Street with Garbage 234 vin THE BLACK PANTHERS SPEAK Young Lords Party 13-Point Program and Platform 235 Ten-Point Health Program of the Young Lords 238 The Patriot Party Speaks to the Movement 239 Latinos Walkout 243 Getting Together 245 Ten-Point Program and Platform of the Black Student Unions 246 The Black Panther Party and Revolutionary Trade Unionism, by Ray "Masai" Hewitt 249 Black Caucus Program: An Interview 252 Petition to the United Nations 254

APPENDIXES 257 I. The Persecution of the Black Panther Party 257 a. The Old Rules Do Not Apply: A Survey of the Persecution of the Black Panther Party by Charles R. Garry 257 b. News Release Issued by the American Civil Liberties Union, December 29, 1969 263 c. Resolution Adopted by the New York Group of the Society for Philosophy and Public Affairs, May 23, 1970 265

II. Call for Revolutionary People's Constitutional Convention, September 7, 1970, Philadelphia, Pa. 267

III. On the Defection of Eldridge Cleaver From the Black Panther Party and the Defection of the Black Panther Party from the Black Community by Huey P. Newton 272

NOTES 279