The Black Panther Party
Republished from the April 11, 1970 issue (vol. IV, no. 17) of The Black Panther.
Editor's note:
In this series of brief articles transcribed and republished from the weekly newspaper, The Black Panther, we hope to provide our readers with a scholarly examination of what the Black Panther Party felt were tried and tested methods of organizing for purposes of community protection and defense in the face of white supremacist terror. In an era of reemergent fascism and a racism so pervasive as to warrant widespread public protest, we feel that it is our duty as activist-minded scholars to make accessible the strategies, tips, and tactics undertaken and sharpened by the Black Panther Party during their struggles against fascistic white supremacy.
PART 2
Malcom X said once that revolutions are fought over land. Revolutionary forces the world over are moving in a strong positive manner against the reactionary forces that occupy and are destroying most of this world. These revolutionaries and these progressive people are fighting to drive murderous mercenary soldiers, lackey political figures, and all evil influences from their land.
Here, in Babylon, revolutionaries and progressive people are also moving in a desired manner. We, as all oppressed, over-exploited, and colonized people, must—and are—waging an uncompromising struggle against those people who wish to keep us in this situation.
Black people in the United States do not own any land, even though it was the back and lives of Black people that brought prosperity to the land. We do not own—but we do occupy. We do not own any of the ghettos in amerikkka, but we have been forced by this government to live in these undesired areas; and so this is where we must begin to wage revolution here in amerikkka.
Today, we are sharing the ghetto with a most undesirable element, the murderous racist pig cop. Revolutions are fought over land, and so that we, as Black people, obtain the power to determine our own destiny, we will first have to remove the most obvious level of oppression, the most deadly element, that pig cop that occupies our communities like a foreign troop occupies territory. We must liberate these areas of land! We must fight!
The youth in this country, in the colonized areas, in particular, must take a serious stand against the oppressor and his lackeys.
There must be—throughout the ghetto—organized bands of brothers and sisters. Small bands organized and highly disciplined for the purposes of liberating these areas out of the hands of the pig. The morale among the Black freedom fighters will grow as victories are won. We cannot afford incorrect examples at this time, for in an armed struggle one either wins or dies. To insure the livelihood of our people, we must rally new forces through our examples of resistance.
The spirit of revolution is here; the direction is here, the only thing left to do now is to fight. Follow the ideology of the Black Panther Party, the vanguard of the American Revolution #2, so that the correct examples will be set for the people to follow.
Self defense groups of 4-6 should make it priority number one to obtain everything they can find written by Huey P. Newton and Eldridge Cleaver, and other proven revolutionaries, so as to embody within the group an ideology that will give you a fighting spirit of steel, that no lackey, pig, or anybody else can destroy! That will be your first taste of freedom.
DARE TO STRUGGLE!
DARE TO WIN!
Written by Michael Hill
Colorado Chapter
