Black Panther Blvd.

In the fall of 1966, Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale created The Black Panthers to defend the rights of Oakland's Black citizens and protect them from police brutality.

Several high-profile incidents followed, including the Panthers fully armed stroll through the California State Capitol, The recruitment of former SNCC leader Stokely Carmichael, and Huey P. Newton's acquittal on murder charges.

Soon, thirty-four Black Panther chapters sprouted up across the United States, awakening a forceful new spirit of empowerment and activism in oppressed communities. The infectious immediacy of the Panther platform and their "10-point plan" integrated key philosophical components that were also shared by Paolo Freire and Frantz Fanon. Freire like the Panthers, advocated a passionate embrace of the needs articulated by the oppressed community. Frantz Fanon, deconstructed the psychology of those oppressed by colonialism and pointed the way towards the authentic praxis of liberation .

Today's acceptance of a national politics that incorporates the needs of Blacks--and, by extension, all people of color--is a composite of the demands articulated by the Panthers, as well as Black Liberation leaders such as Martin Luther King, El Hajj Malik El Shabazz, Robert F. Williams, and organizations such as The Deacons for Defense, the SCLC, and SNCC.

Sixty-five social programs, including Head Start and the free breakfast program, were started by the Oakland Black Panthers. Other programs such as the sickle cell screening program were adopted and expanded by the medical community in later years as indispensable tools in preventive medicine.

Today, the Black Panther Party is acknowledged by social justice researchers and in academic circles as a prime example of an oppressed people in a neglected community not only successfully articulating their needs but addressing them through pragmatic political action and an all-out "by any means necessary" appeal for social justice.

The City of Oakland owes The Black Panthers, city residents, and the international community a BLACK PANTHER BOULEVARD to serve as a permanent memorial to the birthplace of the organization's accomplishments and enduring legacy.

That the Black Panthers have been so steadfastly maligned throughout their history will, most likely, be the cause of any opposition that might arise to a Black Panther memorial. The enduring negative image of the Black Panthers is a testament to the coordinated efforts of the CIA, the FBI, and local law enforcement through the domestic counter-intelligence program known as Cointelpro. Cointelpro was used by J. Edgar Hoover to disrupt, smear, discredit, incarcerate, and kill prominent party members. J. Edgar Hoover, in fact, believed "the Black Panther Party, without question, represents the greatest threat to the internal security of the country".

The actions of Cointelpro have been well documented by numerous sources such as Frank Church, Ward Churchill and Jim Vander Wall.

This is not to say that there were not significant organizational challenges and issues that impacted the Black Panthers efforts. But it must be understood that the Black Panthers were a grassroots organization who adhered to a code of conduct, and that they encouraged the community-building efforts of committed individuals. As the Panthers became part of the community, the community became part of the Panthers. This intimate community involvement in the workings of the Panthers is the reason why BLACK PANTHER BOULEVARD is a memorial not only to the Panthers, but also to Oakland, and to all of the communities and individuals who benefited from, and were inspired by their actions.

THE MISSION OF BLACKPANTHERBLVD.COM is to honor the accomplishments of Oakland's original Black Panther Organization, as a major contributor to the civil rights movement and as a model for politically oriented, grassroots community activism.