Ideas Across Movements: Examining the Themes of Both the Black Panther Party’s "10-Point Program" and BAM Literature

 

     The Black Panther Party was an influential militant black power organization that rose up from the Black Power Movement. The Black Panther Party was founded in 1966 in Oakland, California. The party’s goal was to empower black people as a community. Whether that was through challenging police forces or creating community nourishment programs, the Black Panther Party had a large influence on the black community. The party’s “10-Point Program” served as a constitution for the party. Through the “10-Point Program” you can see prominent beliefs that permeated throughout the entire Black Power movement and also the Black Arts Movement too. Specifically within the “10-Point Program,” a few core themes are educational equality, economic liberty, and equal treatment. In this blog, we’ll dive deeper into these more specific themes and explore how the Black Arts Movement reflected such themes.

     Self identity is a prominent aspect of the Black Power Movement that can be seen in the “10-Point Program.” However, this self identity is not only a discovery of who you are as a person, but also an exploration of who black people as a community are too. The 10-Point Program states that, “We believe in an educational system that will give to our people a knowledge of self. If a man does not have knowledge of himself and his position in society and the world, then he has little chance to relate to anything else.” This quote shows the importance of self identity. In the Black Arts Movement, you can also see a similar level of finding self identity within being black. For example, the poem “You Know” by Jayre Cortez is able to exemplify this trait well. By constantly using the phrase “you know,” it creates an atmosphere where only a set group of people are able to relate with the poem. When Cortez refers to specific black figures, he’s able to create an environment where only black people can relate. In the poem he says, “a blues that you could all feel at the same time / on the same level like a Joe Louis punch.” If you’re not a black reader, then you likely wouldn’t have been able to get that reference. Through creating this exclusive environment, it pushes black people who truly don’t know about their identity to actually learn more. It pushes for black people to find their true self identity in being black.

     Another major aspect of the Black Power Movement was the exposure of the cruel past of American society towards black people. In the “10-Point Program,” it demands that, “The True Nature Of This Decadent American Society [be revealed].” The way that I interpret this line is that the Black Power Movement had an aspect that demanded society to come to truth with its cruel past. With the horrible history of slavery and segregation, admitting and denouncing the past of the cruel American society was a crucial aspect. In the poem “Son of Msippi” by Henry Dumas, the poem reflects the painful history of black life in the south. Immediately from the first stanza, it starts off with lines reflecting the grueling nature of work. “Up / from the river of death. / (Walk bare and stalk cane / make a hungry belly talk.)” In these lines, you can imagine and visualize the barren, difficult, and sad image that’s painted. In a sense, it calls out corruption. With the poem also being about an individual from Mississippi, a state historically known for its cruel and harsh slavery, it nags at the history. The poem points out wrongdoing of the past and somewhat calls for American society to recognize it and bring justice for black people through the acceptance of this reality.

    Finally, another major aspect of the Black Power Movement was the push for equal treatment. Although the Civil Rights Movement had legally brought change for black people, societal perceptions of black people didn’t change as rapidly. In the poem "JESUS WAS CRUCIFIED, or It Must Be Deep (an epic pome)" by Carolyn Rodgers, you can see that this social aspect is criticized. The social commentary on the topic is started by the protagonist’s mother’s conservative ideals. When talking about a black worker at a grocery store, the mother describes a black worker in the following way: “and me and that ladi sd see see, ne-groes don’t treat / nobody right why that clerk packin groceries was un / grown main, acted mad. white folks wudn’t treat yuh that / way.” In this excerpt, I find the last sentence to be particularly impactful. The fact that the protagonist’s black mother is indirectly saying that white people are better than black people is impactful. You can see that the social ideals of the past still linger, and Rodgers shows how it’s necessary to break free from these ideals. This idea is also encompassed in the broader Black Power Movement.

     The Black Power Movement was a time of great change in the identity of black people and serves as a crucial time of development for black people. The broad range of ideas permeated through black society and also black art, which can be seen through the movement’s influence on the Black Arts Movement

Sources:

https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/black-panther-party-challenging-police-and-promoting-social-change (for information on Black Panther Party in first paragraph)

https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/workers/black-panthers/1966/10/15.htm ("10-Point Program")