Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution aired on PBS Tuesday night. The film by Stanley Nelson provided insight into what the organization was all about, the leaders, the programs, and the setbacks they faced. The lessons were plentiful. And the efforts of people like Kathleen & Eldridge Cleaver, Bobby Seale, Huey P. Newton, Fred Hampton, Peaches, Julian Bond, and so many more finally got the recognition that history rarely highlights. Check out these lessons that Twitter learned during the PBS broadcast.
1. The Black Panthers were birth like any revolution out of a necessity for change.
“Being Black in America, you didn’t walk down the street with the same sense of safety and privilege as a white person.” #BlackPanthersPBS
— April (@ReignOfApril) February 17, 2016
2. The symbolism of the Panther wasn’t just because black is beautiful.
We use the panther as our symbol because it doesn’t strike anyone…but when he is assailed upon he will strike out. ~Huey #BlackPanthersPBS
— April (@ReignOfApril) February 17, 2016
3. In 1966, at Merritt College, Huey P. Newton & Bobby Seale created The Black Panthers.
The panthers taught us to build our own institutions. Monitor police, stop police violence. Distribute critical resources. #BlackPanthersPBS
— Samuel Sinyangwe (@samswey) February 17, 2016
4. After the Watts Riots of 1965, and inspired by Robert Williams’ Negroes with Guns, the organization’s intentions were to empower the black community.
Folks who want to compare them to the KKK, note: BPP was defending themselves from the police. #BlackPanthersPBS
— Joshua Crutchfield (@Crutch4) February 17, 2016
5. And they did so in congruence with the law.
Huey Newton knew the law and used it for the Panthers to be able to open carry their weapons. #BlackPanthersPBS
— April (@ReignOfApril) February 17, 2016
6. But as the law would have it…
Hilarious! You used to be able to openly carry a gun in California. Until Black men decided to take advantage of the law. #BlackPanthersPBS
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) February 17, 2016
7. But this was still a telling moment as to how politically powerful the Panthers were even at an early stage.
The Panthers connection to the end of open carry laws in CA is little known history. And so timely. #BlackPanthersPBS
— Stanley Nelson (@StanleyNelson1) February 17, 2016
Commercial Break
Why am I not learning this in school??? #BlackPanthersPBS
— August (@AugustWrites) February 17, 2016
8. But the Panthers forged forward because this was about protecting their communities, even though they were facing the unchecked police.
The police didn’t want to be policed. #BlackPantherPBS
— A Squared (@dstsai1303) February 17, 2016
9. The Panthers were considered to be a terrorist organization though.
The irony of police talking about terrorist organizations. #BlackPanthersPBS pic.twitter.com/w0bwvCbfyC
— Problematic Genius (@SankofaBrown) February 17, 2016
10. And then things changed.
After the violent assassination of NONVIOLENT leader MLK #StockleyCarmichael said they’d no longer “turn the other cheek” #BlackPanthersPBS
— Questlove Gomez (@questlove) February 16, 2016
11. And 2 days after MLK’s assassination, the Panthers’ first recruit Bobby Hutton was gunned down. He was 17yo.
The police murdered Bobby Hutton. #BlackPanthersPBS
— Problematic Genius (@SankofaBrown) February 17, 2016
12. Marlon Brando was an early supporter of the Panthers and gave a eulogy at Hutton’s funeral.
Next time someone tells me what MLK would want me to do, I’ll tell them what Marlon Brando wants THEM to do. #BlackPanthersPBS
— Dollars Thousand (@Felonious_munk) February 17, 2016
13. It was important to decode and understand the language too.
Law & order has always been a code phrase for white supremacy. #BlackPanthersPBS
— Joshua Crutchfield (@Crutch4) February 17, 2016
14. The FBI began their illegal and divisive Counter Intelligence Program to undermine the Panthers.
The FBI created a culture of paranoia, pitting the BPP against itself. More effective than killing them & making martyrs. #BlackPanthersPBS
— April (@ReignOfApril) February 17, 2016
15. J. Edgar Hoover was trash.
245 of the 290 COINTELPRO actions were against the Black Panthers. And y’all praise J. Edgar Hoover. Damn thug. #BlackPanthersPBS
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) February 17, 2016
16. Black families suffered.
People stopped going home to protect their families. So COINTELPRO succeeded in disrupting in multiple ways. #BlackPanthersPBS
— Olivia A. Cole (@RantingOwl) February 17, 2016
17. But the Panthers did their best to keep programs going for the community especially the breakfast program.
The Black Panthers’ Free Breakfast program became their greatest recruitment tool bc of need. #BlackPanthersPBS pic.twitter.com/frwIeV4Pj1
— Smithsonian NMAAHC (@NMAAHC) February 17, 2016
18. And it was thanks to the Panthers that a lot of these programs exist today.
Huey Newton: Free health program, free breakfast program, sickle cell anemia research program, survival for the people #BlackPanthersPBS
— Educ8tusAll (@Educ8tusAll) February 17, 2016
‘Women had guns and men cooked breakfast for children.’ — Elaine Brown #BlackPanthersPBS
— Brittney Cooper (@ProfessorCrunk) February 17, 2016
19. And we have to acknowledge the role of the women.
I learned much of what I know about being man from the amazing Panther Women like Afeni Shakur #blackpantherpbs
— jamal joseph (@jjpantherbaby) February 17, 2016
20. Peaches was an OG.
Wow. Black woman comes out first and the rest follow when she’s not shot. #BlackPanthersPBS
— Pamela K. Santos (@PamelaKSantos) February 17, 2016
21. The women, without a doubt, held the Panthers together.
“My baby in one hand, my gun in the other. I’m here to get what’s mine.” #BlackPanthersPBS pic.twitter.com/Vr9LHLo6Zf
— Smithsonian NMAAHC (@NMAAHC) February 17, 2016
There is no revolution if Black Women are not safe #BlackPanthersPBS
— ImperatorBlackSiren (@Blackamazon) February 17, 2016
22. The Panthers were also inclusive.
“Although the Panthers remained an all-Black org we forged coalitions w/whites Latinos Indians & Asians” ~Kathleen Cleaver #BlackPanthersPBS
— April (@ReignOfApril) February 17, 2016
23. And then there was Fred Hampton. A man so rooted in his convictions he put immediate fear in the establishment.
Between you and me, Fred Hampton was nothing to mess with…#BlackPanthersPBS pic.twitter.com/gWXIOtM5Eo
— VibeMagazine (@VibeMagazine) February 17, 2016
24. And the violent murder of this leader is still traumatic to this day.
The FBI feared the power of #FredHampton. They assassinated him to keep him from being a freedom fighter. #BlackPanthersPBS
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) February 17, 2016
25. The murder of Hampton put a serious damper on the movement. Bobby Seale said it best to challenge the media’s message.
“we don’t hate nobody because of they color, that’s a bold faced lie. we hate oppression.” #BlackPanthersPBS
— a (@audreoverlorde) February 17, 2016
Commercial Break
I’m upset that I never learned any of this in school.
Ever.#BlackPantherPBS
— Ose Agho (@OseAgho) February 17, 2016
26. The members of the Panthers forged forward though, this time started seeking political office to make changes.
Between 1972 and 1975, the Panthers ran a series of campaigns for public office in Oakland. #BlackPanthersPBS pic.twitter.com/DrktaZdrCU
— Smithsonian NMAAHC (@NMAAHC) February 17, 2016
27. However some are still political prisoners.
20 panthers still in prison. #BlackPanthersPBS
— Joshua Crutchfield (@Crutch4) February 17, 2016
28. And the relevance is not lost today.
Like the current BLM movement, the Black Panther Party for self defense was founded because of unchecked police violence #BlackPanthersPBS
— April (@ReignOfApril) February 17, 2016
29. And if it weren’t for Stanley Nelson, we wouldn’t have this moment now to reflect on the significance of this movement.
We owe @StanleyNelson1 a big debt of gratitude for telling our stories with this much resonance, and with so many layers. #BlackPanthersPBS
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) February 17, 2016
Thank you @StanleyNelson1 for this work! I hope this 50th anniv. will see the BPP remembered for who they were! With pride!#BlackPanthersPBS
— jamilah lemieux (@JamilahLemieux) February 17, 2016
What were the most eye-opening moments for you watching #BlackPanthersPBS? For more information check out this Black Panther discussion guide that is helpful for the whole family!
