Black History Month: Black Panthers
I sat down to interview Dr. Christopher Esing, historian and Western’s very own history professor, about the Black Panther Party for Self Defense (Black Panther). A paramilitary group, the Black Panthers emerged during the Black Power Movement of the 1960s. The party was created in response to police brutality; well within their Constitutional rights, the Black Panthers formed as a wall of defense for their discriminated-upon brothers and sisters. Bobby Seale and Huey Newton founded the group after seeing the brutality that blacks outside of the south still faced. The two men who broke away from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s (MLK) with their own ideas on what Black freedom looked like.
Unlike MLK’s movement, the Black Panthers refused to be trampled any longer, they did not believe non-violent protest would liberate and protect black Americans. The Panthers believed African Americans should not be reliant on white communities for their basic needs. Self-sufficiency became its own form of protest. To counteract the issues they saw, the party organized neighborhood patrols to protect residents from police violence. They also created “survival programs” across various chapters for poor black Americans. These programs provided groceries, free breakfast for children, and sponsored legal aid, health clinics, and much more.
The party’s popularity grew and eventually the Black Panther had allies not only inside the United States but beyond as well. Their rising tide of support found them in the crosshairs of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and its counterintelligence program, COINTELPRO. This targeting by the FBI led to several violent interactions. Shootouts followed. Members were arrested on charges tied to their paramilitary presence and their refusal to remain silent about the violence suffered by the black community.
While headlines often spotlight the guns and the government raids, history asks for a wider lens. Protection and provision walked hand in hand. In the face of discrimination, they built programs. In the face of arrests, they continued to speak. Like so many chapters in Black history, the story is not one-dimensional. It is layered with resistance, resilience, and the pursuit of autonomy -- lessons that still echo today.
Reading recommendations from Dr. Esing:
Black against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party
References and to learn more:
The Black Panther Party: Challenging Police and Promoting Social Change
