In the nineteen fifties black communities across the United States were suffering under the heavy burden of poverty. Unemployment, incarceration, drug use and numerous other conditions of poverty were all significantly more prevalent amongst blacks then whites. At the same time blacks across the country were struggling against the oppression of general racial discrimination and Jim Crow segregation in the south. From this turmoil a multitude of black rights movements were created to struggle for equality and better living conditions for blacks. On the forefront of this undertaking was the non-violent Civil Rights Movement led by Baptist Minister Martin Luther King Jr. and the “by …show more content…
(Hanes, 25) This was a revolutionary black social movement because it endeavored to combat the problems in the black communities as an independent black collective instead of relying on the government or white majority for help. By arming blacks, establishing free social programs and involving lower class blacks The Black Panther Party for Self Defense was able to directly improve and empower black communities across the United States. In two short years after is founding The Black Panther Party for Self Defense grew into a national organization with substantial social influence amongst blacks all over the country. In October of 1968, The Black Panther Party for Self Defense was founded in Oakland, California as a community based organization committed to directly improving the lives of blacks through autonomist black action. (Hanes, 33) The founders of the party, Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton, authored a ten point doctrine which marked the beginning of the party and served as the groups manifesto throughout its …show more content…
The Black Panthers most successful free social program was called the Free Breakfast for Children Program which began in San Francisco. The Black Panthers were huge advocates of education in black slums and believed public education was the most effective way to combat oppression. By giving out breakfast to children the group hoped to help them learn and perform better in