Biography of Huey P Newton - Essay Example

Huey P. Newton 2009 Huey Percy Newton: brief biography After Huey P. Newton (February 17, 1942 – August 22, 1989) had graduated from a secondary school where he had been studying quite badly and had been almost illiterate, he started a huge an saturated program of self-education, and entered Merritt College in Oakland, California, and after that went to study to the Law School in San-Francisco where he met Bobby Seale and founded the “Black Panthers” – an organization that was meant to defend the Afro-Americans from the white racism. In 1967, Newton was arrested and accused of the murder of a policeman, and went to jail for 22 months. In 1971, he announced that the Black Panther Party had stopped to use violent methods of fight and switched onto tackling the burning social issues of America’s black community (education, employment, shelter, food and water, medical care, and others). Newton was often accused of violent crimes – mostly murders, so in 1971 he had to run away to Cuba so that to avoid the lifelong imprisonment. However even from Cuba he continued to lead the Black Panthers Party, and living in this country made him even surer that socialism was an ideal political system. In 1974, on return from Cuba, Newton went to jail where he was studying philosophy and history, and in 1980 he obtained a PhD having written a thesis about the Black Panthers. In 1989, Newton was killed by a drug-dealer Tyron Robinson in Oakland. The reasons for his murder are not obvious – some think that the Black Panthers took revenge on their leader who “betrayed” them; others claim that the reasons for the murder of Huey were connected with drugs (cocaine). The Black Panthers – historical context and activity The regular fights between the white policemen and the Afro-American citizens in the 1960s resulted in emergence of one of the most extremists organizations in American history - Black Panther Party. One of the founders of the party was Huey P. Newton. Being an active opponent of the black people discrimination, he demanded from the write government to treat the Afro-American citizens with respect and care: eliminate unemployment, provide them with medical insurance, etc. In his actions, Newton was guided by the philosophy and political goals of Karl Marx and Mao Zedong – just as these two ideologists, he only wished for all people of the USA to be happy. Consequently, the main enemies of the “Panthers” were empowered white racists who were proclaiming the ideas of slavery and genocide of the Afro-American people. While the members of the organizations could turn into real monsters performing acts of violence against the white people, Newton did not support them in acting too violently because he was caring about the image of the Black Panthers. He apologized for his followers yet could not bear responsibility for all of their public actions. Notwithstanding the huge differences in ideology, Huey P. Newton is often compared to Martin Luther King – the Baptist philosopher and the leader proclaiming the non-violent opposition. A well known rap singer Tupac Shakur in Fallen Star wrote about Huey P. Newton: They could never understand What u set out 2 do Instead they chose 2 Ridicule u When you got weak They loved the sight Of your dimming And flickering starlight. (Edwards 2002, p. 62) What was the historical context of Huey P. Newton’s activity as the Black Panthers leader? In the mid-1960s, while America was under the impression of Martin Luther King’s ideas that were very close to Biblical ones: one should not reply to the insult with an insult (however, should not also “turn the other cheek”). The principles of Christian philosophy penetrating Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” produced a powerful impact upon the American community who were learning how to “love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you”. At the same time, Martin Luther King was persistently struggling against the laws of his country. And at this very time, an idol of the Afro-American youth, black Muslim Malcolm X, is killed by the white racist. This event was the end of the non-violent era… In the movie “Forrest Gump” there is an episode where during the hippie demonstration, there appear black guys with machine guns. That is exactly how America remembered the “Black Panthers” – the most horrifying and, at the same time, the most romantic organization of black extremists that originated in 1966 in California. The “Black Panthers” were initially created with the goal to defend the black ghetto from policemen and white racists. Their symbol was a black panther because this animal never attacks first, but if attacked it kills its enemy. By the beginning of 70s, “Black Panthers” stopped being a self-defense organization and started killing each other, yet the legend about them remained. The interesting fact is that when Hue Newton was accused for murder of a policeman and went to jail, not only black people but also a lot of white people all over the country demanded that he be released. An organization called “HonkiesForHue” emerged. The impact of Huey P. Newton and his activity upon the people of America What did Huey Newton give to America? First and foremost, he helped the Afro-American people acknowledge and use their right to self-defence. He assured the black people that they have the right to work in the same companies and send their kids to the same school as their white counterparts. He supported the women. He taught the Afro-American people how to use mass media so that to proclaim and defend their position, views and social rights. Even though it is not clear whether or not Huey was guilty of the terrorist acts that he allegedly was accused of, he certainly produced an extremely powerful influence. His views and political platform were very reasonable, realistic and well-grounded, and he based his philosophy on thorough and meticulous research of other scholars. Huey P. Newton never proclaimed anarchy and he was conscious of the fact that anarchy can only result in chaos. He developed a strategy and tactics for the Black Panthers, and that is exactly why the organization became so powerful. References Burroughs, T. and Vassell, O. (1996). Black Panthers. Retrieved on September 21, 2009 from: http://www.afroam.org/history/Panthers/panther-lead.html Edwards, W. (2002). From poetry to rap: the lyrics of Tupac Shakur. The Western Journal of Black Studies, 26 (2), 61 – 65. King, M. L. (1963). Letter from Birmingham Jail. Retrieved September 18, 2009 from: http://www.nobelprizes.com/nobel/peace/MLK-jail.html Appendix Read More