Ever since the Black Panther Party was formed, there have been many misconceptions about what the party actually stood for and what it's true ideologies were. It has been assumed that the Black Panther Party was another radical hate group that showed hatred for whites and the government. Some of the common misconceptions about the Black Panther Party were:The Black Panther Party was considered to be very threatening with its revolutionary ideas and the amount of media attention that it had been receiving, and the Black Panther Party was believed by some to be created by the media. The kind of news that the media released of the Black Panthers was considered something that created great “news copy” with the rallies and the “threatening image” of the party. This myth of the organization being created by the media does not take into account the amount of community support that the party received as well as the strong dedication of many of its members. The use of firearms as organizing and self-defense tools had caused many to believe that the Black Panther Party was an “infantile leftist” organization. Despite this misconception, the party focused mainly on nonviolent methods and tactics. The Black Panther Party was labeled as an anti-white and a hate organization because of it being an African American organization that was considered “intimidating”. The party was already considered anti-white within the first year that it was conceived and is still considered by some today to have been anti-white. The Black Panther Party actually welcomed white allies and believed in equality for all. Those that believed that The Black Panther Party was a “lumpen-based” organization thought that the party was primarily made up of the black criminal class, thugs, hoodlums and ex-prisoners. The Black Panther Party mainly received its membership from a broad spectrum of the African American community. A good portion of Black Panther Party members were young adolescents, in either the high school or college age range [1]. A non-violent "Free Huey" rally by the BPP [2]. [1] Charles E. Jones, The Black Panther Party Reconsidered, (Baltimore MD: Black Classic Press, 1998). |
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