Beginnings:
Oakland, California 1966
The Black Panther Party for
Self Defense started in Oakland in late 1966, founded by Huey
Newton and Bobby Seale. They had met while taking classes at
Merritt College. Determined to address police brutality and racial
injustice, they drafted a 10-point program that demanded freedom
and the “power to determine the destiny of our Black
Community.”
Committed also to armed
self-defense, the organization quickly attracted both members
and hostile attention. It seemed to reflect a new turn in the
Black Power movement.