What is the significance of the Black Panther Party?

Answer 1

The original Black Panther Party, while often regarded as controversial, was also a positive force in the black community during the 1960s and early 70s. Some Black Panther members worked tirelessly in their community and saw themselves as part of a movement to increase the influence of black people on the majority-white political system. At their best, the Black Panthers provided health care at community clinics, gave food to the poor, and tried to provide mentorship to black youth. But the bad news was the militancy of some of the members of the party-- some believed in the importance of taking up arms in the fight for equality (although they asserted their goal was not to shoot anyone, but rather, to protect black people from police brutality). And unfortunately for the party's image, there were also members who brought embarrassment and shame by getting involved in criminality (including drug-dealing).

The overall significance of the Black Panthers is difficult to assess even today; they were never a huge organization even at their height in the late 1960s; and their accomplishments pale in comparison to the work of civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King. As a means of expressing black pride, and in the ability of the Black Panthers to mobilize members of their community to pay more attention to politics, some historians say they deserve praise. But others say the movement quickly devolved into petty infighting and even violence, defeating the purpose and the goals the group claimed to want to uphold.