Former Black Panther educates students
By KRISTIN LOVE
The Unity House basement was filled with 60 students and members of the community who gathered to hear David Hilliard, a former Black Panther, talk about their political party and their movement. Krystal Thomas, the Advocacy Programs Coordinator for the MultiCultural Center (MCC), planned this program and made it part of MCC Week, which took place from Jan. 24 through Jan. 29.
Hilliard started out his presentation by giving a historical overview of the Black Panther Party. Founded in Oakland, Calif. in 1966, the party was based on the slogan, "All power to the people." This slogan was significant because the Black Panthers did not stand for racism and black pride, but demanded power for every single oppressed person. Hilliard dispelled the myth about their party being merely "angry, gun toting people." The party's primary goal was to protect the black people of the community and provide for their basic needs, which were not being met by the government.
Among some of the most memorable services that the Black Panthers administered were free breakfast programs for impoverished children, an escort system for elderly people so they could run errands, and a school called the Oakland Learning Center. The services were run on a volunteer basis. Hilliard set an example for the volunteers to follow because even though he was the chief of staff of the organization, he continued to actively serve his community.The Black Panther Party spread across America to 40 states. Each branch was required to provide for the needs of its community, or their particular region, through the "survival program." This program included educating, feeding and serving the people.
"We were social scientists," Hilliard said. "We knew how to serve the people." Hilliard rallied support for his cause and helped the students understand why the Black Panthers fought for the oppressed.
"I thought it was really informative," freshman Chisa Preston said. "Even though I am an African American I was never informed about what the Black Panther Party was all about."When the party was founded, the members wrote a party platform entitled "What we want, what we believe." This contained a ten-point program, including such items as: "We want freedom and we want power to determine the destiny of our black community." Thomas was able to hand out copies of the platform, as well as a pamphlet that she made, containing important facts about the party.
Hilliard was selling the book that he authored entitled, This Side of Glory: an Autobiography and History of the Black Panther Party. After the program, Hilliard autographed the books that the students purchased.
Today, Hilliard continues to work on educating people and helping them fight for their rights. He started the Huey P. Newton Foundation, in memory of the party's chief founder, which gives tours of the former Black Panther headquarters in Oakland and seeks to educate people about the true history of the party.
As students were leaving the program, they seemed both emotionally moved and enthusiastic about their new knowledge.
"After reading a biography about Huey Newton, it was interesting to hear the other side of the story from David Hilliard," freshman Chris Traina said.
Hilliard is currently running for the Oakland City Council. If you are interested in helping with his campaign committee, please contact Krystal Thomas at the MCC office, (408) 551-4926.