The Black Panthers
The Black Panther Party was founded as an aid to the black community. They fed the hungry, protected the weak from racist police, and presented a new paradigm of black political and social activism. Its "survival programs"-such as food giveaways, free health clinics and free breakfast programs for children-were popular fixtures in black neighborhoods in the early 1970s, but for the white power structure and the vast majority of the white public, the Panthers represented only anti-government militancy; a view which engendered the wrath of the police and FBI and led to the murder of several party members by law enforcement. The question that stands is not whether their platform had good intentions, but whether their requests were too brash. When minority groups ask the majority for equality and a place in society, they must know who to ask and when. When Martin Luther King Jr. made his platform for his civil rights movement, he had the understanding that they were the unde!rdog and he had to please the "white-man," and make everyone believe he spoke of the truth. When a minority group comes onto the scene, it is assumed they have a group of followers. These followers are the foot soldiers for one's platform. However, wha
The Black Panther Platform continued this harsh tone with their third decree. The third decree referes to payment of what they believe they are owed from the time of slavery. They mention that two mules and forty acres was promised to them as restitution for slave labor and the mass murder of black people. In this decree they request payment so they can distribute the funds to the balck communities. They must realize once again, that many people who were reading this platform probably had no idea of this debt. Nevertheless the statemnt was made, but how did the Black Panthers want this to be carried out? Did they expect the U.S. government to hand the leaders of the Black Panther Party a check so they could decide how the money should be dispersed? Once again the this platform lacks the necessary organization it needs to speak to the many citizens of this country. To make this their third decree shows a lack of maturity. Any educated person in this country, black or ! The Black Panthers are jumping the gun with this ridiculous statement. The fact that they want full employment for their people is a reasonable request, but this is much more difficult than it sounds. First and foremost, many jobs require a level of education. If a human being, regardless of color or creed, is not qualified for a position he or she should not be considered for employment. The opposite also applies. The Black Panthers look unorganized with this statement. They did not mention education until later in their platform, when education comes before employment. They must always recognize that they are the minority and the underdog. When one does not have the support of the majority, one must structure themselves to have the opportunity for acceptance. If they had rephrased this statement and mentioned qualified blacks, this would have made this statement cr
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Approximate Word count = 1257
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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