The Collection

An Analysis of Reparations, the Black Panther Party, and Why We Matter [Final Draft]

1.

    In the summer of 2015, writer Ta-Nehisi Coates published an article in The Atlantic entitled “The Case for Reparations” in which he methodically spelled out why reparations are due to Black Americans. Through a careful analysis of Coates’ article and the history of the Black Panther Party depicted in the documentary, The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution, it can be observed that many aspects of the reparations movement overlap with the mission of the Black Panther Party.

          “We want decent housing” (Rajguru).This was one of the ten points that the Black Panther Party (BPP) championed. In the documentary, the BPP focus its attention on Black ghettos as they engaged in community development and protection routes. Coates maintains that it is systematic creation and perpetuation of these ghettoes by the Federal government’s action or lack thereof that justifies reparations. As Coates explained, many of these ghettos were the result of decades of a traumatic practice known as “redlining.” By only allowing Blacks to move into selected areas of a city, Blacks were segregated from their white counterparts. These areas were then victims of neglect by the government, as well as by white building owners, creating the ghetto as we know it (Coates).

          Decent housing was only one of the many issues the BPP fought against that would also be addressed by reparations. “Terrorism carried the day,” Coates writes. Since the time of Reconstruction, Blacks experienced relentless violence at the hands of whites. In many cases, such as when a white mob “leveled the Black Wall Street” in Tulsa, no one was punished for the crimes committed against Blacks (Coates). Countless other examples of this despicable injustice exist. Deciding not to stand for racist violence at the hands of whites, especially white police officers, the BPP believed in “self-defense”(The Blank Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution). Black leather coat, dark sunglasses on, gun at the ready, the Black Panther stood guard over their neighborhoods. At the core, the BPP had little to no faith in the legal and judicial systems to protect the rights of Blacks against violence, and instead sought to protect themselves (The Blank Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution).

          The most startling overlap of the BPP and Coates’ call for reparations is the claim that issues Blacks faced were created and maintained systematically. As said by the leaders of the BPP, the laws that govern America were “never meant to protect Blacks” (The Blank Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution). Blacks faced opposition and oppression when they attempted to exercise rights as fundamental as those granted to by the Bill of Rights, especially the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms. Parallel to this is Coates’ assertion that government actions such as New Deal and policies adopted by the Federal Housing Administration were specially written to exclude Blacks. Injustices such as these were integral in creating the inequalities existing today (Coates).

2.

While decades separate the height of the BPP and the modern day Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, the two share a common goal: “Stop Killing Us” (Kang). Starkly disappointing is demonization of both movements a lining them with “calls for violence” (Kang) against the police. This comes as a result of the opposition and fear of those who do not understand or agree with the true aims of these movements. 

Another similarity, one that is vastly overlooked, is the attempts both groups to promote solidarity amongst all racial groups. In the documentary, it is shared that at one point, the BPP teamed up with poor whites who also experienced discrimination (The Blank Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution). Likewise, the BLM movement does not singularly call upon Blacks to march and protest, but any and all who feel moved by the injustices experienced by Blacks in America. Photos and videos captured at protest in Ferguson, Baltimore, and New York City depict a fervent crowd made up of not only Blacks, but also Whites, Asians, and Hispanics.

The main difference between the movements is their approaches to end police brutality of Blacks. The BPP called for “Black self-defense groups” (Rajguru) with the strategy of combating police brutality in Black neighborhoods. The actions carried out by this group were aimed at prevention by making the police aware there would be direct and violent action taken against them if any incident were to occur. This is adverse to the BLM movement, which functions to organizer protests and uses social media as its platform. While the BLM has succeeded in drawing attention to the issue, its actions are mainly reactionary. Also different between the two movements is that among the BLM movement’s calls for “Justice for Mike Brown” (Kang) and other victims of police brutality, the BLM advocates peaceful protest and not violence of any kind under any circumstances.

3.

          The efforts of the BPP have had both a positive and negative effect on the “mattering” of black lives. The varying views of the effectiveness of the BPP comes as a result of the differing perspectives of those who supported and opposed them. From the view of the oppressed Blacks, the BPP stood for “Black Power” and fought to prove that despite the ruthless mistreatment of Blacks by white police officers and the legal system, Black lives matter (The Blank Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution). They proved that if Blacks valued their own lives, they could take steps to protect and better themselves. More than a “self-defense group,” (Rajguru) the Black Panthers were community servants, heading a “breakfast for children” (The Blank Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution) program and other community outreach programs. In the eyes of the opposition, the BPP only validated their claims of how violent and unruly the Black population was.

          The full effect that the BLM movement will have on this issue is yet to be seen. As of now, this movement is facing similar criticism as the BPP. Opponents of the movement say that it calls for violence against law enforcement as vengeance for the mounting number of slaughtered Blacks. Others say that the movement is staking the outrageous claim that Black lives matter “more” than the lives of other groups. These falsities overshadow the benefits the movement has provided. At any moment, one can see ”Black Lives Matter” flashing across their television screen or Twitter feed. It can no longer be denied that this country has a problem regarding the “mattering” of Black lives.

4.

          Huey P. Newton, age 24. Bobby Seale, age 30. These were the young founders and leaders of the BPP. As Huey P. Newton said, “The revolution has always been in the hands of the young. The young always inherit the revolution” (Newton). The Panther’s words embody the spirits of the thousands of young activists who made up the majority of the party’s membership. Along with this spirit that longed to see change came an optimism that had not been worn down by the hands of time. The same characteristics that the Panthers possessed all those years ago remains in the courageous youth today movements. The BLM movement was founded by Johnetta Elzie, then age 25 and DeRay Mckesson, age 29 at the time.

          Although the spirit of the revolution remains the same, times have changed. While the world does need civil rights activists and organizations to address the perilous injustices Blacks face, the era of the BPP has passed. The focus of the modern battle for Civil Rights should be fought in the courtroom, not in the streets. Activists should protest the unjust and discriminatory policies that still exist in this nation such as fair loaning policies and equal housing which, as Coates describes, do more damage to Blacks than any other facet of racism.