The+Black+Panthers

In chapter 4, James talks about the Black movement. One group he mentions in particular are the Black Panthers. James tells readers of his experiences with them as he is sent to camp. "'My father taught me,' he said proudly. 'He's a black panther.'......It was my worst nightmare come true. I had no idea who the Panthers truly were. I had swelled the main image of them completely...I wanted to warn Mommy. Suppose the Black Panther wanted to kill her?...I shouted, 'Watch out for him!' but we were too far away and my window was shut. She couldn't hear me....I turned to the Black Panther's son sitting behind me and punched him square in the face with my fist." (36) This part shows how, although James knows nearly nothing about the Black Panther, he still has this understanding of their dislike toward whites and wants to protect his mother. James new very little about the Black Panther Party causing him to react violently toward them. His actions might have been different towards the little boy on the bus if he would have know some background on this party and all the actions they took in an attempt to improve the black community.
 * Relating to the book~ **


 * [[image:black_panthers.jpg width="333" height="209"]]

History of the Black Panther Party~** The Black Panther Party was an organization established to promote Black Power and self-defense. This was a thriving party during the mid-1960s into the 1970s. The party expanded into cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, Denver, Newark, New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Washington D.C., and Baltimore, with membership reaching more than 5,000. Although the Black Panthers worked to achieve a safer, more united nation, law enforcement saw the party as, "The greatest threat to the internal security of the country." media type="youtube" key="shwzJNQlubo" height="344" width="425"

The party was founded on October 15, 1966, in Oakland, California, by Bobby Seal and Huey Newton. The organization fought for the protection of African American neighborhoods from police brutality. The party attracted a diverse membership making a consensus within the party difficult to achieve. Some members’ believed in using peaceful nonviolent forms of civil disobedience while the majority believed in using militant tactics; these differences tended to give the party a bad name and overshadow their political goals.

(peaceful left, violent right)

The Black Panther Party summarized their goals in something known as the Ten Point Program. The Ten Point Program was as follows: media type="youtube" key="LPP0hiLuxdQ" height="344" width="425"  This Program was a message to a nation, that this party felt lacked respect for their racial group. To accomplish some of the goals in the program and work toward racial equality they created a variety of community programs. These programs were designed to rid the black community of poverty and improve health among them. Other programs were designed to increase the communities’ knowledge of the world making them a stronger race. Some examples of these programs are: 1. Black Student Alliance 2. Consumer Education Classes 3. Free Ambulance Program 4. Free Dental Program 5. Free Employment Program 6. Free Food Program 7. Free Health Clinics 8. GED Classes 9. Geriatric Health Center 10. Junior and High School Tutorial Program 11. Legal Aid and Education 12. Nutrition Classes 13. Pediatric Clinic 14. Police patrols 15. Visiting Nurses Program 16. Youth Training and Development
 * 1) We want power to determine the destiny of our black and oppressed communities' education that teaches us our true history and our role in the present day society.
 * 2) We want completely free health care for all black and oppressed people.
 * 3) We want an immediate end to police brutality and murder of black people, other people of color, all oppressed people inside the United States.
 * 4) We want an immediate end to all wars of aggression.
 * 5) We want full employment for our people.
 * 6) We want an end to the robbery by the capitalists of our Black Community.
 * 7) We want decent housing, fit for the shelter of human beings.
 * 8) We want decent education for our people that exposes the true nature of this decadent American society.
 * 9) We want freedom for all black and oppressed people now held in U. S. Federal, state, county, city and military prisons and jails. We want trials by a jury of peers for all persons charged with so-called crimes under the laws of this country.
 * 10) We want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice, peace and people's community control of modern technology.

The Black Panther Party collapsed in the early 1970s. media type="youtube" key="CJYIFyd9FL4" height="344" width="425"(history of the party)