The Black Panthers Speak edited by Marxist historian Philip S. Foner, Is a publication of Marxist perspectives on Black liberation and Black nationalism and voices the opinions and theoretical teachings of the Black Panthers through their voice along with an amazing collection of interviews of the founding activists and allies of the Black Panther Party Huey P. Newton, Bobby Seale, Eldridge Cleaver, David Hilliard, Fred Hampton, Kathleen Cleaver, Linda Harrison, Connie Matthews, Joan Bird, Afeni Shakur, and Jewel Barker. Largely outlining a curriculum for Black political thought through a Marxist lens; examining topics like self defense, community programming, economic inequality, domestic and international politics, and more issues following the civil rights and anti-war efforts of the 60s and 70s.
Black Liberation – “The Black Panther Party (or any Black liberation force) cannot be successful without the complete support of the people. All power comes from the people. But we often hear that a certain segment of the general population has all of the power because it has the largest concentration of money or weapons. This is not true. Without people, both money and weapons are useless . . . The people are the ultimate source of power. Lets unite and give more power to the Black Panthers, so that the Panthers will liberate all the power for “the people” – The Black Panther, October 26, 1968” (Foner 1970; p. 24). This interview of a Black panther in the early years of the building of the party perfectly outlines Marxist language and the political concepts of pan Africanism at that time – with the overwhelming and resounding push to separate from the United States however possible, the black panthers became a home towards that level of ideology in the late 60s early 70s.
Black Nationalism –“Cultural nationalism is recognized by many who think in a revolutionary manner as a distinct and natural stage through which one proceeds in order to become a revolutionary. Such is not always the case, and many people remain at the level of a cultural nationalist all of their lives. In the united states, cultural nationalism can be summed up in James Brown’s words - “I’m Black and I’m proud.” . . . Cultural nationalism manifests itself in many ways but all of these manifestations are essentially grounded in one fact; a universal denial and ignoring of the present political, social, and economic realities and a concentration on the past as a frame of reference.” – Linda Harrison (Foner 1970; p. 151). Similar to Black Liberation, the concepts of black nationalism circulating around that time were largely of independence but also of the unification of the black community; this unification was a leading pillar of organization for the black panthers and this writing by Linda Harrison is perfectly representative of what that nationalism meant, not just as a social gathering of peoples hut of an economic and security independence.
Marxism- The free breakfast for school children is about to cover the country and be initiated in every chapter and branch of the black panther party. This program was created because the black panther party understands that our children need a nourishing breakfast every morning so that they can learn. . . For too long have our people gone hungry and without the proper health aids they need. But the Black panther party says that this type of thing must be halted, because we must survive this evil government and build a new one fit for the service of all black people. - The Black panther, March 26, 1969” (Foner 1970’ p. 168). The largest theme which ties in each entry and interview of the Black Panther manifesto is of Black Marxism and strong Marx-Leninist perspectives. The Black panthers were known for their efforts in community programming, identifying community needs and education – all of which the ways they were executed whether successfully or not, followed a very strong Marxist approach and perspective that arguably is not seen nearly as consistently in other organizations.
“Being hungry is the hardest thing, & to this day I have prayers of gratitude for the Black Panthers, who made Breakfast for Children a thing that schools should do. We qualified for free lunch & breakfast, & without them I am almost sure we wouldn't have made it out of childhood alive despite my hardworking parents.” ― Patrisse Khan-Cullors, When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir. What the Black Panthers are known for is so widely varying and absolutely and truly revolutionary for what they were able to accomplish to Patrisse Khan-Cullors it was the Free Breakfast program. The free Breakfast program is the definition of positive and effective need-based community programming and a solid stance on the effectiveness of government assistance and selectiveness of the aid that goes to communities in need in comparison to the communities that are acknowledged as in need, frequently cutting out black communities. And yet the Black Panthers alike the themes Khan-Cullors talks about – were labeled terrorists.
Almost all of the issues relayed throughout the Black Panther Speaks have not changed in prevalence, The Publication of the book took place in 1970 during a period of extensive and aggressive political and social turmoil in the United States; With the anti-war efforts surrounding the Vietnam war and the Invasion of Cambodia (and their suppressions of protests that killed students at Kent state and Jacksonville state), The increase of Police Brutality following the introduction of major war on drugs policies used to incriminate people of color, and more specific to the Black Panthers ;the FBI Infiltration of their chapters and assassination of Fred Hampton and other of their leaders in the following years.
The climate the black panthers were experiencing at the time of publication is Very closely representative of Issues faced today surround the Black Lives Matter movement and the rise in record police brutality killings like George Floyd, Tamir rice, Eric Gardner, Breonna Taylor, Philando Castille, Trayvon Martin, and so so many more
The Reading “What We Want/ What We Believe”; My A-Ha moment was the 10-point demands list of the Black Panther Party which very well foreshadows the themes and advocated points in the rest of the book. I had initially read “what we want” as an excerpt in my social theory class, It motivated me to read the rest of this book and encouraged me to research further into the Black Panthers and personally Fred Hamptons work in the Chicago area. I believe this book is a great place to start when learning about the civil rights movement, Race, or Black Marxist political frameworks. The Black Panthers speaks does an incredible job of displaying historical context, theoretical framework and actual application into programs and events as a means to unify the community and revolutionize people towards anti-colonial principles; Especially during a period where there were concerted efforts to paint them as terrorists and to infiltrate their organizational bodies. I think the Black Panther Manifesto serves as the contemporary foundations for Black Nationalism today and further more the organizing and unification of Black and brown communities – in reading the individual interviews it proves this point.
If you’re interested in content like this book or would like, please explore the listed material below
“13th” – Netflix documentary discussing the 13th amendment and civil rights, interviewing well known Black activists and academics.
“Judas and the Black messiah” – A dramatic retelling of the story of the assassination of Fred Hampton and the infiltration of the Chicago chapter of the Black Panthers centralizing William O’Neal’s story.
“Black Panthers” – An HBO Max documentary of the Black Panthers in their protests and rallies over the incarceration of Huey P. Newton in 1968.