Founding Members Huey P. Newton & Bobby Seale set out to build an an organization that would Serve & Protect the Needs of the Oppressed. Be it providing Food, Clothing, and a Protective Vanguard Force in the community, the ultimate goal was to overthrow the existing Ruling Power Structure & create one more rooted in Equality. One thing that The BPP Leadership was keenly aware of, unlike most others, was that the people's level of Consciousness would have to be elevated FIRST (i.e. the revolution first starts with the minds of the people). This many great social programs were instituted to give the people a feel for what a proper government should be like, and to break the sense of dependency of the existing government of the time. Being that this is assessment is likely FAR from the image more commonly provided in school & mainstream media, I strongly encourage all to read, study & learn. Good books to start with include:
- Revolutionary Suicide by Huey P. Newton
- Blood In My Eye by George Jackson
- Seize The Time by Bobby Seale
- To Die For The People by Huey P. Newton
- Soul on Ice by Eldridge Cleaver
We absolutely MUST Celebrate the Lives, Work & Legacy of those that Sacrificed for US.