The Black Panther Party Reconsidered

The Black Panther Party is perhaps one of the most misunderstood political movements in the U.S. due to government disinformation and harrassment and misperceptions magnified over the years that fiction is now considered fact. In one volume, the history of the party from 1966-1982 and beyond is presented through original writings from rank & file members and those in leadership roles and scholarly papers that cover a variety of issues, including inner-party gender relations, how the party fit into the Third World revolutionary movement and the grass-roots movement in each chapter to assist residents of all ages with nutrition and health-care. Perhaps most important is the extensive footnotes after each piece, which assists the reader in pursuing further material and dismisses any criticism that the author has some ulterior agenda by allowing opinion to supercede a conclusion based on research. Founded because the power structure maintained what I consider a plantation mentality to Black people in general and Black urban areas in particular and ultimately destroyed by the same power structure due to its programs of empowerment and solidarity, the real Black Panther Party may never truly be uncovered. But this book starts that process and it is as important a retrospective as any that has been published.

This is the first book to attempt to discuss the legacy of the Black Panther Party. The fact that a second book, Liberation, Imagination and the Black Panther Party, managed to continue the work begun here without significant overlap shows what a rich legacy it was.One essay, "The Black Panthers and the 'Undiscovered Country' of the Left" proposesthe novel idea that the Panthers had begun to emulate many aspect of an emerging nation-state by taking on the functions of provideng serverices for the community, setting up independent relations with other nations, etc., While this seemed to be unintentional, it does suggest the larger potential of the Party.It's important to realize that there were many Black Panther "chapters" that were inspired by the Oakland Panthers but developed autonomously and had different levels of political development. The Oakland BPP attempted to gather them all into one big centralized organization but had neither the political experience ,or the time [they were attacked by city, state and federal governments almost from day one] to properly pull it together. The essays by some of the ex-Party members in this volume provide great insight into the different ways in with the BPP were able to speak to local Black communities while encapsulating the grievances and hopes common to them all.The one weakness of the book is its defensiveness. The city, state and federal governments used the Panthers' militant politics and gun imagery to portray them as reckless thugs who covered up their criminal tendencies with political rhetoric. The authors in this book attempt to refute that by emphasizing the community organizing aspects of the BPP such as the free breakfast programs. However, none of the authors explored the question of whether the Panthers had a legitmate case for armed revolution in the US. By avoiding the debate, the authors seem to be ceding ground to the Pantthers' opponents.This book should not be seen as the final word but as the beginning of an important conversation. Anyone who wants to understand post-60's political movements can't avoid the fact that the Panthers helped shape the debates that continue up to our time. Read this book to see how.

This book is the first book that comes close to giving a balanced view of the history of the Black Panther party, its problems and its ultimate demise. It includes a view by regular rank and file members. It is well worth reading for those looking for an alternative to those books written by Party leaders, informants, or critics.