On the Ground: The Black Panther Party in Communities across America

Front Cover
Judson L. Jeffries
Univ. Press of Mississippi, Sep 30, 2010 - Social Science - 304 pages
The Black Panther Party suffers from a distorted image largely framed by television and print media, including the Panthers' own newspaper. These sources frequently reduced the entire organization to the Bay Area where the Panthers were founded, emphasizing the Panthers' militant rhetoric and actions rather than their community survival programs. This image, however, does not mesh with reality. The Panthers worked tirelessly at improving the life chances of the downtrodden regardless of race, gender, creed, or sexual orientation. In order to chronicle the rich history of the Black Panther Party, this anthology examines local Panther activities throughout the United States—in Seattle, Washington; Kansas City, Missouri; New Orleans, Louisiana; Houston, Texas; Des Moines, Iowa; and Detroit, Michigan.

This approach features the voices of people who served on the ground—those who kept the offices in order, prepared breakfasts for school children, administered sickle cell anemia tests, set up health clinics, and launched free clothing drives. The essays shed new light on the Black Panther Party, re-evaluating its legacy in American cultural and political history. Just as important, this volume gives voice to those unsung Panthers whose valiant efforts have heretofore gone unnoticed, unheard, or ignored.
 

Contents

Peoples Party II and the Black Panther Party in Houston Texas
3
The Seattle Chapter of the Black Panther Party
41
Chapter 3 THE KANSAS CITY BLACK PANTHER PARTY AND THE REPRESSION OF THE BLACK REVOLUTION
96
Chapter 4 MOTOR CITY PANTHERS
125
Chapter 5 THE DES MOINES IOWA AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY AND THE EMERGENCE AND IMPACT OF THE BLACK PANTHER...
186
Chapter 6 THE BIG EASY WAS ANYTHING BUT FOR THE PANTHERS
224
NESTING THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY IN THE ZEITGEIST OF UNCERTAINTY
273
Contributors
283
Index
285
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About the author (2010)

Judson L. Jeffries is professor of African American and African studies at The Ohio State University-Columbus. He is editor or author of numerous books, including Huey P. Newton: The Radical Theorist, and coeditor (with Shannon M. Cochran and Molly Reinhoudt) of Feel My Big Guitar: Prince and the Sound He Helped Create, both published by University Press of Mississippi.

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