The Black Panthers Party (BPP)
The Black Panthers Party (BPP) established in 1966 grew to acquire national predominance at a fast-pace. Panthers, unlike the Civil Rights Movement, championed by Martin Luther King, appeared to be more radical. Group members emerged through the press as a group of armed blacks with militant attitudes and loaded guns XX. The group, in addition to critiquing American political system, also challenged capitalism. Black Panther Party introduced community programs in black neighbourhoods to showcase the absence of social services in such areas. Such socialist actions by the group were the primary reason why Black Panthers were termed as to national security.
The Lee Lew-Lee 1966 documentary was extensive in capturing the various social issues revolving around the black community. Among the important points from the film is when Martin Luther King is assassinated one day after his powerful speech. This event sparked off violence and demonstrations by the BPP supporters that caused the lives of many blacks, including Bobby Hutton, a party leader. Another major event in the film is when the Panthers establish a 10-point program advocating for improved housing, nutrition and better housing among other social issues. Black communities were curtailed from such issues which made the BPP create programs for providing food to children in informal settlements.
The Ten Points Program comprised of 10 guidelines to the BPPP that heightened the ideals and methods of operations for the group. Fifty years later, the role these 10 points played is being seen online through the use of the #BlackLivesMatter (https://www.ucpress.edu/blog/25139/the-black-panther-partys-ten-point-program/)xx. This hashtag is being used in the fight against police brutality. What Black Lives Matter is doing today using smartphone on social sites was achieved by Black Panther using guns and demonstrations. The same brutality directed at Blacks that led to the rise of the Civil Rights Movement and the BPP is being seen today through recent police shootings in Tulsa and Charlotte that are subjected to massive criticism through Black Lives Matter campaign.
Among the most significant contributors to the demise of the BPP was the FBI. This US government institution, at some point, regarded BPP to be one of the most significant threats to national security and use radical and dubious methods to bring down the party, using COINTELPRO operation (XX). FBI, for instance, fueled internal disputers at BPP through fraudulent letters. BPP also contributed to its decline through poor structure and planning methods. The same members that organized party events during the day were used in underground night operations, making them easily recognizable. Party leaders could be easily picked and arrested weakening the movement. Additionally, the party faced a shortage of funds since it was opposed to the US capitalist way. Most members were therefore jobless and engaged in social evils such as drug abuse, gang activities and used curse words (). Corruption among the party leaders and entitlement ultimately dimmed the light for the BPP.
Mumia Abu Jama is regarded as the World’s Most famous death row inmate. He was an active leader and a journalist for the Back Panther Party of the 1960s. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a police officer. While still in jail, Mumia still maintains his spirit of revolution, which he confirms is directed towards the atrocities of war, racism and class warfare. According to Mumia, “Every generation must, out of their will, seek their destiny and works to towards either fulfilling it or betraying it XXX. Fulfilling this cause is what revolution entails for this long time political prisoner
Mumia’s definition is true since we are only as big as our dreams and aspirations. If; we choose to remain silent about the things that matter, we have lost in life. All Power To The People is one of the greatest films to cover the working of the Civil Rights Movement and the BPP. The documentary is still relevant in today’s American society, especially with the widespread police brutality in the US targeting race. The spirit of revolution detailed in the film has re-emerged with the Black Lives Matter campaign to critique police shootings targeting blacks in the US today.