Civil Rights Movement Vs. The Black Panther Party

Black Lives Matter picks up where The Civil Rights Movement and the The Black Panther Party left off. There are inherent differences between them that come with a change of times but it seems as though some of the key aspects from the 1960s were lost somewhere in translation. The Black Lives Matter movement draws many parallels with the Black Panther Party but to understand each as a separate movement, it’s more effective to point out their differences. With the advent of social media, information is available instantaneously. Although this is a privilege for movements today it’s not being used to the best of its ability. While there is information available to everyone in the blink of an eye, there are not enough people taking action and

The Civil Rights Movement had a rigid command structure all around. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was seen as the leader of the Civil Rights movement; Huey Newton was the leader of The Black Panther Party; and Dixon was the leader of the Seattle chapter of The Black Panther Party. It seems as if Black Lives Matter has no leader but this isn’t entirely true. While there’s no one leader in charge of the entire thing, there most definitely are people in charge of all the smaller organizations within BLM. The lack of one clear leader within BLM is also purposeful. History has shown that when a leader is removed, the organization behind them dissolves (i.e. the “collapse” of the Civil Rights Movement after the assassination of MLK Jr.). In theory, without one leader, BLM will always live on. However, with no one person to take the brunt of responsibility, their credibility has taken a blow. Additionally, without one leader, their agenda isn’t met with as much certainty. The Organization for Black Struggle is one of the most prominent organizations within BLM and it clearly has the most rigid agenda but their demands aren’t being met because they haven’t gotten much public attention. What the Civil Rights Movement showed was, leadership is the backbone of any social

Black Lives Matter is a young movement and its agenda has recently shifted. It’s shifted from focusing on police brutality to fighting for equality for all people of color. Much like the BPP, it’s had a rocky start that has more or less hurt their public image. The brandishing of weapons by the BPP no doubt hurt their message in the public sphere and similar occurrences are happening to BLM. Anti-police chants that often come up during BLM rallies are severely damaging their reputation. Additionally, BLM’s tendency to interrupt unrelated events dilutes their image and has been criticized by many influential supporters of BLM (namely, Bernie Sanders). The BPP faced similar issues with their use of weapons. In 1968, Aaron Dixon and other party members firebombed local businesses that they deemed racist. Shortly thereafter, Dixon realized that this kind of interference was ineffective and did nothing but hurt the movement and take the focus off their political agenda. He realized that the image they had, as revolutionaries, would only last so long. At that time, the Panthers were already being painted as thugs and criminals all over the nation. To continue the legacy and effectively spread the message of the BPP, Dixon decided to strengthen the chapters relationship within the community. Community programs like “Free Breakfast for Children” and the free community clinic they opened did just that. This new idea that an armed