Black Panther Movement Analysis

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In this essay, I will compare two revolutionary movements, the Black Panther Party and the Movement for Black Lives. These movements both grew out of frustration with rampant police brutality in black communities. They founded at a time when police brutality and oppression of black people was sensationalized by media. During the 1960s, you repeatedly saw black people getting attacked by policemen, police dogs, and water hoses on television and in newspapers. Today, you repeatedly see black people getting gunned down and brutalized by police officers on social media. Both movements formed soon after political uprisings in black communities and published platforms stating their demands, which are remarkably similar. However, their …show more content…
The Watts Rebellion was sparked by an incident of police brutality against Marquette Frye. However, like Ferguson, the rebellion in Watts wasn’t just about this singular incident; it was an explosive reaction to the continuous police brutality and racism that was occurring in their neighborhoods. The Watts Rebellion cultivated a culture of militancy that influenced the Black Panther Party (Ossie Owusu). The Black Panther Party was primarily born out of frustration with the passive resistance tactics of the Civil Rights Movement (The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense). After repeatedly seeing black people brutalized and murdered despite their non-violent tactics, they began to question the effectiveness of non-violence and became radicalized (The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense). The very next year, the Black Panther Party was founded. Likes Ferguson did for Black Lives Matter, the Watts Rebellion set the groundwork for the rise of the Black Panther Party as a cultural and political …show more content…
Their platform has six demands: criminal justice, reparations, invest-divest, economic justice, community control, and political power. Each demand outlines the problem, solution, and actions to be taken at local, state, and federal levels (Movement for Black Lives). The influence from the Black Panther Party is clear. Like the Black Panther Party, the Movement for Black Lives has also taken a radical stance against global imperialism and capitalism, showing solidarity with other oppressed people of color around the world (Movement for Black Lives). Another key part of their platform is self-determination. It emphasized investment in black