Huey Percy Newton, founder of the Black Panther Party, was born February 17, 1942 in Oak Grove, Louisiana. The youngest of seven children, he would, at 24 years old, help build an organization that earned the loyalty of thousands of young Black men and women in over 40 cities all across the U.S. Youngsters inspired by the intense Newton, the man with the high nasal southern voice. He moved many to defend themselves with arms against racist cops, to man offices across the country, and to work long, hard days for years, for no money. Doing freedom work, feeding children daily breakfasts, establishing liberation schools, building health centers, running free clothing programs—just some of the survival programs that Huey said were necessary to build trust in the people, and to teach the people revolutionary ideas.
Huey P. Newton was a poor student, for he could barely read. Once, while trying to imitate his older brother’s reading of a poem, he was apparently reading it perfectly until his brother noticed he was reading it upside down. The shame of being caught forced him to teach himself to actually read, instead of using his prodigious memory, as many illiterates do. Although discouraged from doing so by his school counselor, Huey went on to Merritt Junior College in Oakland, and years later, after the passing of the party, he would earn a PhD, a doctorate in Social Consciousness from the University of California, Santa Cruz. His dissertation would be published in 1996 as, War Against the Panthers: A Study of Repression in America.
Dr. Huey P. Newton was a revolutionary who built an impressive organization of young Black freedom fighters, young men and women, dedicated to social change. Most of their critics have done nothing remotely close for those the party served, Black poor people. As Black History Month is celebrated, who will remember Huey? Postage stamps won’t be printed to honor him. Too few school kids will even learn his name. But outside of school, on steps, in streets, in barber shops, in bars, on playgrounds, his name will be remembered. A Black revolutionary, Dr. Huey P. Newton. From death row, this is Munia Abu-Jamal.
These commentaries are produced by Noel Hanrahan for Prison Radio.
