The Black Panther Party is one of America’s most influential and misunderstood organizations. After Beyoncé’s super bowl performance there has been a lot of talk about this organization, and in lieu of Black History Month this seems like a great time to set the record straight. The Black Panther Party has been labeled a terrorist group and has even been compared to the Ku Klux Klan. In reality these images were promoted by a media and government that were afraid of what the Black Panthers really represented.
The Black Panther Party wanted to build up their communities. They had programs and initiatives which promoted unity, success, and health within black communities. Many of the programs kept young black men off of the streets and helped young children. In the late 60’s the Party was responsible for the feeding school children breakfast every day before class.The Black Panther Party believed in self-defense. During the Civil Rights Era, when the Black Panther Party formed it was common for black communities to be targeted by racist white people, especially racist police officers. The Black Panthers believed it was necessary for the blacks to know how to defend themselves if ever put into such a situation.They made sure that when officers were called into their communities they did not brutalize any of the men or violate any of the women and children. The Black Panther Party also promoted Anti-Racism. It is true that there were not many, if any, white people associated with the Black Panther Party, but that was because people believed that since white people are not black they will not be able to fully understand the black experience and why certain things need to be done, which was and is still true when it comes to white allies.
This article is simply a small portion of the things they did and valued. While the Black Panther Party was not a perfect organization the fact that modern day America compares the party to the klan is disgusting and a slap in the face to Black America. The Black Panther Party was labeled and targeted by the government because their ideals were outside of the norm. The Black Panther Party only tried to uplift the black community and they demanded better treatment in a racist America. The Black Panther Party IS NOT responsible for the dismantling of a white community, the killing of countless white people, the rapes of countless white men and women, or anything as evil as the Ku Klux Klan. To further anti-black mentality in America the klan is still not viewed as a terrorist group.