The Black Panthers: Thugs or Revolutionaries?

Fists in the air as we celebrate the formation of the revolutionary Black Panther Party! The group, founded on 15 October 1966, confronted the political establishment, challenged state oppression, protected Black communities from brutality and fiercely fought for a global Black power revolution.

But mainstream narratives tend to portray the Black Panthers as thugs championing no meaningful ideology, who stood for and advocated for nothing but violence.

This narrative is one that has been challenged critically by members of the Black community and scholars, who have written extensively on, and spoken of, the Black Panther Party's community work.

In this clip, Xavier Buck (@historyin3 on TikTok) - executive director at the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation and all-round Black history content producer - enlightens us on the BPP Community Survival Programs, which sought to provide much-needed services for the marginalised and impoverished Black community.

The Black Panthers had at least 65 programmes, including to feed the hungry, to keep the elderly safe, to empower and provide mentorship to young people and to create better housing conditions.

As Bobby Seale, one of the founders of the BPP noted in a 2001 interview with the Las Vegas Sun, contrary to the portrayal of the Black Panthers as a violent hate group, "we were students. We were avid readers. We were researchers. We were serious," adding that their "philosophy was about empowering the people."

These survival programmes only support his statements.

Happy 58th to the Black Panther Party!

Video credit: @historyin3 (TikTok)