HUEY P. NEWTON SPEAKS

Today, 17 February, would have marked Huey P Newton’s 83rd birthday. A gang assassinated the Black Panther Party (BPP) co-founder after he dedicated his life to socialism, the liberation of the Black working class, and fighting against the US empire.

The BPP transformed the Black freedom struggle within the United States, cultivating new dimensions, garnering global attention and forming relationships on the world stage.

While misinformation about the party and Newton abound, the best source of information comes directly from Newton himself. In this clip from the PBS documentary, 'Eyes on the Prize II' (1987), he explained the party's 10-point programme. Those included building a socialist economy, fighting for Black community control over neighbourhood institutions, and the right to self-defence for Black people and other oppressed people.

In 1967, police arrested Newton for allegedly shooting a police officer. This led activists to launch the 'Free Huey' movement to force authorities to drop the charges and release Newton from political imprisonment. In May 1970, the California Court of Appeals reversed Newton's conviction because of the judge’s incomplete instructions to the jury. A court tried Newton for a second time in August 1971, with the charge changed to manslaughter, but a deadlocked jury produced a mistrial. A hung jury delivered another mistrial during the third trial in November 1971.

The party also sparked the establishment of other revolutionary groups, such as the Young Lords for Puerto Ricans, the Brown Berets for Chicanos (Mexicans in the US), and Yellow Peril for revolutionaries of Chinese heritage. 

Newton, a staunch anti-imperialist, connected the party to revolutionary organisations in China, Palestine and Cuba. He authored numerous books, including his autobiography, 'Revolutionary Su*cide' (1973), and 'Revolutionary Intercommunalism and the Right of Nations to Self-Determination' (2004). He also has a speech collection titled, 'To Die for the People' (1972)

Video credit: 'Eyes on the Prize II' (1987)

Sources:

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/newton-huey-p-1942-1989/ 

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/newton-huey-p-1942-1989/  

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/what-united-black-panthers-puerto-ricans-white-southerners-new-doc-n1119101 

https://guides.loc.gov/latinx-civil-rights/young-lords-organization

https://researchrepository.universityofgalway.ie/server/api/core/bitstreams/b3d4a4b3-b608-4f22-b3d4-21c4fd61a4a7/content

https://ia903401.us.archive.org/9/items/revolutionary-intercommunalism-and-the-right-of-nations-to-self-determination/Revolutionary%20Intercommunalism%20and%20the%20Right%20of%20Nations%20to%20Self-Determination.pdf

https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780863163272

https://www.encyclopedia.com/law/law-magazines/huey-p-newton-trial-1968