A Little Black Panther History

Baadasssss Cinema discussed the birth of Blaxploitation in the early 1970's, however the documentary assumes the viewer understands the context of the genre and even the people commenting. Without understanding the importance of the Black Panthers it could be hard to realize how much of an impact the genre had.

One of the first people we see in the film is Afeni Shakur. Most people quickly identify her with her son Tupac, but she should be known for her own actions. Afeni was recruited into the Black Panthers by Bobby Seale in the late 1960's and was quickly targeted by the U.S. government for her involvement. She was jailed on conspiracy to murder policemen in 1969 when she was pregnant with Tupac. She was released, but had to stand trial (she was later acquitted). During the trial Shakur appeared in Philadelphia where the Panthers called for a "Revolutionary People's Constitutional Convention" where a new constitution would be written. At that time Bobby Seale was being tried for murder and Shakur urged, "When the fascist pigs get ready to murder Bobby, I want you in the streets." At the same event, another Panther addressed the problem of informants, infiltrators, and agent provocateurs saying, "if they want to kick off a war tonight, we're ready for them." (New York Times, June 20, 1970)

The Black Panthers weren't paranoid. The FBI under J. Edgar Hoover engaged in every day criminal activity and actively attempted to destroy political movements in the United States as a part of COINTELPRO (look it up, you'll be enlightened on the true character of the U.S. government). A prime example of political repression and state sponsored murder in the United States can be found 90 miles South in Chicago, IL. December 4th, 1969, Fred Hampton was asleep with his pregnant wife. He had been drugged earlier that night to ensure he would be asleep. A Chicago police raid began with police opening fire into Hampton's apartment. When they found Hampton wounded in bed, they dragged him into the hallway and executed him by firing two rounds point blank into his head.



You can watch the 1971 documentary, The Murder of Fred Hampton to learn more about the man and the murder.

If you want to see Bobby Seale speak, watch for information on his tentative Spring visit at http://www.sdsmilwaukee.org/