Black Panther Thesis Statement

Thesis Statement

The first issue of the Black Panther Newspaper featured Denzil Dowell’s murder by the Martinez police in North Richmond. The newspaper played a very significant role in the African American community. This newspaper was run by the Black Panther Party for Self Defense. The Party had a significant impact on society and is credited for the massive amount of improvements in the equal human rights movement. The Black Panther newspaper shed light upon the social injustices such as unjust killing faced by African Americans like Denzil Dowell. The Black Panther newspaper, unlike other conventional newspapers, showed the brutal treatment of Blacks. The newspaper became a strong element of the Black Panther Party; it provided the African

American community with the much-needed news and unified the community. The Party’s actions, although different from other civil rights groups, we effective and inspired African Americans to take action against injustice.

On April 16th, 2016 I visited the African American Museum and Library in Downtown Oakland. The building is over a century old, designed by Walter Danforth Bliss and built in 1900 The entire first floor is dedicated to the library and a small computer lab; the second floor is the museum, connecting the two is a beautiful staircase occupying most of the main lobby. At the time of my visit, there were children taking computer classes and a small book reading club meeting was taking place. The archive section contains a wide range of historic newspapers, magazines and other artifacts of African-American culture. The exhibit on the second floor showcases artifacts pertaining to Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Black Panthers and many others pertaining to African American History. The exhibit it very elegant, and quite modern, it contains videos recording of local residents on topics such as the Black Panthers. One video featured a man in his 50’s talking about his girlfriend’s brother being a Black Panther, another featured a women’s husband that was killed for being black. After looking around for a while I saw a news page entitled “Why was Denzil Dowell Killed,” under it said, “I believe the police murdered my son.” This instantly caught my attention and names like Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Oscar Grant came to mind. A homicide that was later ruled justifiable by a mostly White jury (10 White males and 2 Blacks).

The newspaper produced by the Black Panther Party for Self Defense, “The Black Panther,” depicts a panther at the top of the paper, next to the slogan “Black Community News Service.” This is the first paper published by the Black Panther Party for Self Defense. The newspaper was produced in the Emeryville branch on April 25, 1967. The main article is titled “Why was Denzil Dowell Killed April Frist 3:50 a.m.” The article discusses the unjust murder of Denzil by the Martinez police and how the facts provided by the police are a cover-up for a race killing. Near the end, the article discusses some questionable facts, one questioning how six bullet and shotgun blasts are considered a “justifiable murder.” The article continues on to the second page, the full article is attached to the end of this report. The last portion of the paper is the announcement of the meeting on 1717 Second St to support the Dowell family, “WE BLACK PEOPLE ARE MEETING SATURDAY 1:30 AT 1717 SECOND STREET LET US SUPPORT THE DOWELL FAMILY EVERY BLACK BROTHER AND SISTER MUST UNITE FOR REAL POLITICAL ACTION.”(BPP) Denzil’s picture at the center of the page covers about a fourth of the whole paper, he is dressed in what looks like a suit with a fedora. (The Black Panther Party for Self Defense)

The newspaper was displayed in a well-lit area with spot lights pointed on the individual artifacts behind a glass panel next to another production of The Black Panther Party Newspaper. The neighboring paper was produced later the same year on December 20, 1967. This part of the exhibit was quite barren— possibly as an effort to emphasize the importance of the artifacts that were on display. All the artifacts are displayed on a white background and in a glass box. There were TVs dedicated to many sections of the area with more information about the artifacts behind it and some stories that go along with it. It is located in the Black Panther section of the library along with some artifacts related artifacts produced by the party. There was also an outfit that was typically worn by the Black Panthers during a protest in their rallies. The artifact description talked about how one of the tools on the BPP was the newspaper; it’s circulation eventually reached close to 170,000 issues weakly, it also mentioned that about 537 issues were printed between 1967 and 1980, first being the one displayed. “The paper provided a revolutionary perspective on local, national and international events at a grass-root level.”
The newspaper was published in 1967, two years after the “Jim Crow Era,” 1877-1965. Segregation from a legal standpoint had ended with the Civil Right act of 1964, but social prejudice lingered on until much late, even today. Police brutality and racial prejudice were very high and African-Americans were prime targets. Many Black Americans suffered humiliation and discrimination:
• Black children had ½ the chance of completing high school and white children.
• One-third the chance of completing college
• On average, made half as much as their White counterparts
• Unemployment rate was twice as much
• After 6 years of the Brown v. Board of Education, only 49 Southern school districts had desegregated
• Less than 1.2% of black children attended school
• In the south, they could not vote, be jury members, and visit some restaurants

Many leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X come up and spoke for equal rights. Having newspapers that were produced by the African American community shined a light upon what the mainstream media covered up. The death of Denzil Dowell, like many other African Americans, was not covered by any major newspaper. Looking back, the American society has come a lost further in the last 50 years than it had in the 100 years before that, both in legal right and in the fight against discrimination. This has been achieved mainly because of social leaders, whether it by thought peaceful protests by MLK Jr, or through violent protests by Malcolm X or the Black Panthers. (Digital History) (Harris, Jessica C)

The party was heavily influenced by Malcolm X’s teachings; his murder influenced founders Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale to for The Black Panther Party for Self Defense. “If they had not murdered Malcolm X, there probably never would have been a Black Panther Party,” said Bobby Seale, Co-founder of the Black Panther Party. The BPP used many methods to fight against the oppression and unjust treatment on African American the newspaper being one of them. Huey P. Newton was born on February 17, 1942, in Monroe, Louisiana. His family moved to Oakland when he was a toddler. Newton later graduated from the USF School of Law. Newton emerged as a leader in the Black Military movement when the members of the Black Panther Party protested the gun bill in 1967 by entering the California Legislature armed with guns. In the mid-1970 Newton was accused of assaulting a tailor and murdering a 17-year-old sex worker. He fled to Cuba in 1974 and returned back in 1977; both cases were later dismissed. He earned a Ph.D. in Social Philosophy from UC Santa Cruz on 1980. He published “Revolutionary Suicide” in 1973. By the end of his life, he had a severe drug problem and spent more time in prison. He died in Oakland, California on August 22, 1989. (Author)
Bobby Seale was a co-founder of the Black Panther Party. He was born on October 22, 1936, in Dallas, Texas. He moved to California and attended Berkeley High School. Seale met Huey Newton at a rally protesting the blocked of Cuba by Kennedy. He was political minded and broke away from the conventional nonviolence civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King, Jr. He also opposed the “Back to Africa” movement. After listening to a speech by Malcolm X, who shared a similar idea, his ideology deepened. Together Bobby Seale formed the Black Panther Party for Self Defense on October 15, 1966, Oakland, CA. In 1970, Seale was arrested for protesting at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. He was sent to prison for four years on a charge of conspiring to incite riots. After spending time in prison he stepped away from violent protests and tried to reorganize the Party that had fallen apart. He turned away from politics and became a writer. Bobby ran for Oakland Mayor in 1973 and came in second of nine candidates. After moving away for a few years, he moved back to Oakland in 2002 and works with local young activists. (Biography.com Editors)
These two young activists together embarked on a mission for social justice and civil rights— along with other revolutionaries, their work has improved the lives of millions. (Nelson, Stanley, and Laurens Grant)

Professor Georges’ lecture “Reconstructing Racism: From Slavery to Jim Crow” talked about a period when slaves were free but were strategically suppressed by the local White governments. Jim Crow era is defined from 1877 to 1965. Jim Crow laws enforced legal segregation, “separate but equal” treatment. This separate treatment eventually led to racial tensions sparking a revolution. These protests were often misrepresented by mainstream media; African American run newspapers became a very important aspect in getting the proper information out to the public. (Georges)
Booker T.’s approach was a little different than what one would typically think as shown in “Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others;" he asked for social equality and asked the Black man to work his way up. “EASILY the most striking thing in the history of the American Negro since 1876 is the ascendancy of Mr. Booker T. Washington.” (Du Bois) Du Bois dislikes Booker T.’s approach because he thought it is a bit demeaning of African Americans to give up their dignity for money. Du Bois asks for equal political rights, turn of the century is essentially the beginning of the equal rights ideology, Du Bois foresees this in his “Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others" essay, in which he express that a formal education is a way to bring up the African American society and prevent it from being controlled by people they don’t choose.
“We Wear a Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar depicts the experience African Americans at the time it was written in 1896. “With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,”(Dunbar) depicts the pain caused upon African Americans in their daily lives and how they have become stronger. By the 1970’s African Americans had become a more solidified force; being tired by the oppression, they are demanding for an equal position in society. Coming this far is not enough, African American’s mood towards progressivism changed, as King said, "We're through with tokenism and gradualism and see-how-far-you've-comeism. We're through with we've-done-more-for-your-people-than-anyone-elseism. We can't wait any longer. Now is the time.”
Formation of African American civil right movements such as the Black Panther Party. Professor Moore in his lecture “Civil Rights and Political Power” talked about the movement for Black power pioneered by Malcolm X and MLK. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King had two very different philosophies, Malcolm X believed in taking their due rights by force whereas King believed in a non-violence methods. Malcolm X and MLK’s influence over the Black Panther Party is clearly shown in their Ten-Point Program, their goals, (attached at the end of the report) in which they demand social equality and justice. (Moore, Matthew Civil Rights and Political Power)

The Black Panther Newspaper provided a true look on the injustice present in the African American Community, something a lot of mainstream newspapers failed to do.

The newspaper became a strong tool of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense. The newspaper symbolizes the struggles endured by the Black during the last 30 years, more than that it represents their history of continuous abuse can be overcome through persistent efforts and by coming together as a community. Denzil Dowell is one of the many African Americans killed for being born in the “wrong” race— something they have zero control over. The Party’s role in the Civil Rights Movement is unparalleled; although breaking away from other mainstream movement like the one led by Martin Luther King Jr., the Black Panthers we able to casue some serious change in the lives of everyone. The difference between the two movements also shed light upon the different between to North and South. In the North, where people were, comparatively, a little more open to African American rights, was able to hold a relatively peaceful protest. The South however, was much more reluctant in providing equal rights causing African American to be much more aggressive for basic human

rights.

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