Black Panther Party's influence on politics http://media.www.carolinianonline.com/media/storage/paper301/news/2009/04/07/CampusNews/Black.Panther.Partys.Influence.On.Politics-3702206.shtml
Lauren Robison Issue date: 4/7/09 The African-American studies program hosted a lecture by key-note speaker, Dr. Curtis Austin, as the final address to their two-day Conference on African-American Culture and Experience, (CACE) on April 3 in the EUC Auditorium. The lecture was titled "The Politics of Race and Gender in the Black Panther Party," and focused on the history of the Party and gender issues dealt within the organization. "A lot of times people confuse gender with females, but men have a gender too, believe it or not," said Austin in his introduction to the lecture. Austin went on to give a brief summary of the role of the Black Panther Party (BPP) in the Civil Rights Movement, highlighting the founders - Hewy Newton and Bobby Seale - and how it got its start in Oakland, Calif. in 1966. The BPP was started in response to murders and police brutality to African-Americans. The founders wanted to fight against the injustice they were facing and the BPP was "a very real need," said Austin. The founders set out to form an organization based on what the people of their community wanted and needed from them. To figure this out, they surveyed the people and came up with the "10 Point Platform and Program." The first of these points is "We want freedom." Other points that followed include the right to full employment, decent housing, fair trials, and the immediate end to police brutality and murder. There were also some very controversial points such as the want for black men to be exempt from military service because "they didn't feel they should fight for someone else's freedom when they didn't even have their own," said Austin. Another controversial point was the request for all blacks to be released from jail. This point was made because the prisoners were tried in front of all white juries, which led them to believe that the judgment was unfair. The BPP grew quickly due to media and the open displays of their actions throughout various cities. By 1974 there were 42 Black Panther Party Chapters in the U.S. There was one incident to which Austin credits the "ummph" or "that's what I'm talking about" morale of the BPP and that is the murder of Denzel Dowell by police officers. Dowell was 16 years old and accused of stealing a car and running from the police. Police claim they shot him while he was climbing a fence to get away. Dowell was shot six times. Dowell's parents contacted the BPP and upon investigation they found out that Dowell had been shot while his hands were up, and in a different location than the police claimed. The party went to Sacramento to fight this claim and were filmed carrying weapons as they walked into the state house where Bobby Seale gave a speech on the injustice blacks were facing and the harm that was being inflicted on their people. This was broadcast on television and caused the BPP's numbers to jump up into the thousands. The Party also started up their proposed programs to help blacks in their communities. These programs included free breakfasts for children, free health clinics, care of the elderly, children's day care, and bussing systems. Within these programs is where a lot of the gender role issues were faced. Not only women cooked the breakfasts, men cooked and served as well. In the health clinics, 90 percent of those who went out and got certified to care for patients were women. The biggest change for most was that black men were taking care of the babies. The role of women was also evident in dangerous activities such as the shootouts that were common in areas where the BPP was present. Most think of men in the shootouts, but as the Party consisted of two-thirds women, the ladies held a majority of the weapons. Women also held leadership roles within the party and often had quite a few men under them. This was a big change and some men had problems following direction given by a woman. However, the leaders of the Party made sure that the women were respected and listened to. In closing, Austin said, "Without women…we wouldn't be able to enjoy some of the freedoms that we are today enjoying." Following the lecture was a short question and answer session. Stephen Leeper, a senior psychology major, was the first to question Austin. "Why do you think there was such a disproportion in male and female participation in the Black Panther Party?" asked Leeper. Austin responded that it was probably due to the fact that men had more to lose at that time, such as their jobs and lives, and also that men were more susceptible to unfair and abusive treatment by police. Austin also added that, "Women tend to be the most sophisticated and most skilled. They were simply smarter." Dr. Tara Green, director and associate professor of the African-American studies program, also posed a question asking, "How do you think this resonates in our time now? Students have asked me, 'Where is the movement?'" In response, Austin said, "There aren't enough people right now who are upset. People need to get involved in something before it is too late." Following this Austin also prompted the audience to know their rights and, "Go read the Patriot Act. As people of College, you should do your own research. Don't just take what someone tells you." Austin also commented on President Obama stating, "He will make changes if we put the pressure on him to do it." Eugenia Brown, a junior African-American studies and social work major, was inspired by Austin's response and commented back, "Most of us young people think that the work has already been done by our ancestors... We have to realize that Obama and older people can't do everything for us, we have to take responsibility." . --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Sixties-L" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/sixties-l?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
