Remembering the Black Panther Party | Jacobin
Actvism Munich Editorial Pick of the Day: Jacobin Magazine - Remembering the Black Panther Party
Excerpts from the article:
"But for the BPP, the struggle against racism was incomplete without a
struggle against capitalism. Their 1966 ten-point platform, the clearest
programmatic expression of the group’s politics, featured a critical
analysis of both white supremacy and capitalism in America. Among their
demands were “full employment,” “decent housing,” and a “United Nations–supervised
plebiscite” to determine whether African Americans wished to separate
from the US and form their own self-governing community."
"Among the most important of the Panthers’ activities were its social
services, or “survival programs.” The most famous was the free breakfast
program, which provided meals to many impoverished African-American
youths in Oakland. Another was the local health education program, which
aided African Americans who lacked access to quality health care.
Together, the more than sixty survival programs allowed the Black
Panthers to win the support of many struggling working-class African
Americans, immediately improving the living standards of residents even
as they gestured toward a socialist future."
"Today, fifty years
after its founding, the Panthers should be remembered for more than
their black berets and shotguns. Despite their flaws, they melded the
immediate and the transformative into a potent political vision,
advocating a multiracial alliance against racism, capitalism, and
imperialism that delivered tangible gains to the most exploited. That
vision is equally as stirring today."
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https://www.jacobinmag.com/…/black-panther-party-fifty-yea…/
Panther Party's free breakfast program. Photo courtesy of Pirkle Jones
and Ruth-Marion Baruch
