History Of the Black Panther Party
The Black Power Movement occurred during the years of 1960 through 1980. The Black Power Movement unified the black community by honoring and celebrating African American history and culture while fighting for racial equality. The movement was heavily supported by many Black Americans; in particular an organization called “The Black Panther Party'' The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was first established in Oakland, California by two young African Americans named Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. Starting in October 1966, the organization was influenced by police brutality, poverty and racial injustice in America following the event of the San Francisco Police murdering of an unarmed teenager named Mathew Johnson. One of the first actions by the organization that challenged white supremacy were members patrolling local communities from police officers. Members of the organization protected disadvantaged neighborhoods by using resources like law books, tape recorders and legally carried weapons. The Black Panther Party took pride and honor being an all black male organization that defended their community from white violence and crime. Black Americans related to The Black Panther Party as their representation and perspectives on black culture were grounded in the improvement of their lives. The organization quickly became popular in the black community as the number of members increased. According to the source called, Women and the Black Power Movement it states, “Between 1968 and 1970, membership in the Party peaked, and an estimated two-thirds of the rank-and-file of the organization were women (Women and the Black Power Movement, Farmer)”. The organization quickly became popular in America, especially in urban places with large minority communities like Los Angeles, New York City and Philadelphia. Founders Newton and Seale outlined the Black Panther Party’s main purpose as an organization and political objectives in a document called "Ten Point Program." The Ten Point program addressed issues such as poverty, housing inequality, unemployment, over policing, and lack of education resources within the black community.
The first woman to join the organization was an Oakland Technical High School student named Tarika Lewis in the year of 1967. Lewis witnessed activism by the Black Panther Party in her community and was inspired to participate in the Black Power Movement. One day in the spring of 1967, she introduced herself to Newton and Seale and expressed her interest in joining the organization. She addressed the lack of women within the organization and volunteered to be the first sister in the Panthers office with full initiation which included access to firearms. During this time period, it was shocking for the head of the Black Panther men to agree with Lewis by fully accepting her offer.
