The Marvel superhero film “Black Panther” has already broken Hollywood records in its first week. It has grossed more than $400 million worldwide, it also broke the record for a February opening, which was previously held by “Deadpool” and it is now the largest opening for a move with an African-American director.
Yet, that success of this movie, which could gross upwards to a billion dollars was not one hundred percent guaranteed.
Just as tens of millions of diverse people were exciting to see this movie about a fictional African kingdom called Wakanda, in which the film’s creators borrowed aspects from real African culture, like the Masai of Kenya and the ancient African empire of Mali. There were a lot of people; minor in comparison who were upset and fearful of this celebration of real African culture in this fictional kingdom. Some even took to social media and posted fake post about being attacked violently by angry black people.
Despite all the effort by many haters, naysayers and racists, this movie was an extreme success. I would rate this film a 9 and a half out of ten. A must see movie.
Alprentice “Bunchy” Carter was born in Los Angeles, California in 1942. In his earlier days, Carter was a member the Slauson street gang, he was so well-respected, he was nicknamed the “Mayor of the Ghetto” and was also a member of that gang’s extremely tough inner circle called the “Renegades”.
Carter would later be convicted of armed robbery and would be incarcerated at Soledad prison for four years. While in prison he was influenced by the teachings of the Nation of Islam and Malcolm X and would eventually convert to Islam.
He would later renounce Islam and focus his time and energy on the black Liberation movement.
After being released from prison, Carter would meet Huey Newton, one of the founders of the Black Panther Party (BPP) and would join the organization.
In the early part of 1968, Carter would form the Southern California chapter of the B.P.P and would be that chapter’s leader, like all chapters of the group, they studied politics, trained firearms, first aid and read party literature. They also had a free breakfast program for poor, economically-disenfranchised black youths. By April of that same year, the chapter was becoming so popular it was gaining between fifty to a hundred new members a week.
As the B.P.P continued to grow and popularity, they would become targets of Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI ) and it’s director J. Edgar Hoover. The FBI’s secret division known as the Counter Intelligence program ( cointelpro ) it would later be revealed in Senate Testimony, that they worked with local police to sabotage, intimidate and harass members of the party.
During the time between 1968-69, many warrantless searches, false arrests occurred and several members of the black organization would be killed.
Towards the end of 1969, J. Edgar Hoover sent out orders to FBI field offices to : “exploit all avenues of creating dissension within the ranks of the BPP”, and “submit imaginative and hard-hitting counterintelligence measures aimed at crippling the BPP” . In Southern California, the FBI would also work hard to exploit the rivalry between the BPP and the black nationalist organization called “US”, which was founded by Ron Karenga. The two groups had very different approaches about how they battled systematic white supremacy, and often times found themselves completing over the same potential recruits.
On January 17, 1969, Carter and fellow Black Panther named John Huggins were allegedly heard making uncomplimentary statements about the head of US, Ron Karenga. An altercation would ensued , which would lead to the murders of Carter and Huggins.
The Panthers would claim that it was an assassination on their leadership, while the US organization would claim that it was a spontaneous event. Claude Hubert, the man who allegedly killed Carter and Huggins would never be captured.
In 1975, during the Church Committee hearings, evidence was revealed that proved that the FBI’s Counter intelligence program, under the direction of Hoover, covertly sent out disinformation, fake death threats and humiliating cartoons to the Panthers and US organization, pretending they were from the other group with the hope of causing conflict and inciting violence between the two black Liberation groups.
Bobby Hutton (Robert James Hutton) was born on April 21, 1950, in Jefferson County, Arkansas. He was the son of John D. Hutton and Dolly Mae Mitchner-Hutton. At the age of three, Bobby and his family moved to Oakland, California after his family was visited by a group of white supremacists, threatening to harm his family.
As an adolescent, Hutton would meet Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, the two founders of the Black Panther Party in North Oakland, at the government funded Neighborhood Anti-Poverty Center, a program dedicated to the employment of local youths for service projects.
In 1966, at the age of 16, Hutton would become the first recruited member and also the first treasurer of the Black Panther Party.
In May of 1967, Hutton with thirty Black Panther Party members traveled to Sacramento, California to protest the Mulford Act at the state Capital , a bill that would make it illegal to carry loaded firearms while in public, when Hutton and others walked into the state assembly, he and four other panthers were arrested.
On April 6, 1968, during a failed ambush attempt on Oakland police, which was led by Elridge Cleaver, and was supposed to be blacklash for the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. , who was killed 2 days early, Hutton was killled during the shootout with the cops. Cleaver claimed that OPD shot Hutton more than a dozen times after he had already surrendered . Cleaver would later say ” What they did was first degree murder.”
Hutton’s funeral was held on April 12, at Ephesians Church of God in Berkeley, several famous people attended, including activist and author James Baldwin and actor Marlon Brando. At the time of his death, Bobby Hutton was only 17 years old.
Short artistic video on the legacy of Bobby Hutton
Many of the young hip hop fans may only remember Afeni Shakur as the mother of the outspoken and iconic rap legend Tupac Shakur.
But Afeni Shakur was an outspoken and iconic figure in her own right.
In 1964 Shakur world get involved in the black empowerment movement and joined the Black Panther Party. In 1969 Shakur in several of her fellow-panthers were arrested and charged with conspiracy to bomb several police stations.
In 1970 Shakur was given bail and was released from jail, during her time on bail, she would meet and get pregnant by a New Jersey truck driver named William Garland. Soon afterwards she would have her bail revoked and would be returned to jail to await her trial.
In 1971 Shakur and fellow defendants went on trial, Shakur against the objections of her fellow defendants, chose to defend herself and was successful in defeating the prosecution’s case.
On June 16, 1971 Afeni would give birth to her son Tupac Amaru Shakur.
In the early 1980’s, Afeni would suffer through drug addiction and was unable to keep a job and often times would use the welfare checks for her kids to buy drugs to feed her addiction.
In the late 1980’s Afeni would move her and her family to Marin County to try to get a new and clean start.
In 1991 her son would release the album 2pacalypse Now, an album that would give him fame and stardom.
After her son’s death, Afeni would become the caretaker of Tupac’s legacy.
Rest In Peace Afeni Shakur: Thug Life on 1st Time 2Pac Recited “Dear Mama”
Assata Olugbala Shakur (born Joanne Deborah Byron) was born in Jamaica, Queens, New York, on the 16th of July 1947.
While attending the Borough of Manhattan Community College and later City College of New York, she would begin her political activism career, by getting involved in black student political activities, student sit-ins and various protests ( including anti-war protests).
After graduating from CCNY, she would join the Black Panther Party (BBP) and would eventually become a prominent member of the Harlem Branch of the BPP.
Eventually she would leave the Black Panther Party and would join the Black Liberation Army (BLA), which was an underground group created out of the backlash from the aggressive, racist,brutal and often times illegal practices from local Police and the FBI (Cointelpro), who infiltrated black political organizations and even took part in the assassinations of Black Panther Party leadership, including Fred Hampton, the Deputy Chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party.
In 1973 Assata Shakur was allegedly involved in a shootout with police at a New Jersey turnpike, in which she was accused of killing New Jersey State trooper Werner Foerster and assaulting trooper James Harper.
In a four year period, from 1973-1977, Shakur would be indicted on six crimes, which included murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, bank robbery and kidnapping. The result would be three dismissals and three acquittals.
In 1977 she would be convicted of the murder of Foerster and seven other felonies related to the turnpike shootout.
In the 1970’s Shakur would be incarcerated in several prisons. She would escape prison in 1979, eventually fleeing to Cuba, where she would be given political asylum.
The FBI currently has Shakur listed as a domestic terrorist and she has a 2 million dollar reward for her capture.
To this day Assata still insists she is innocent of all charges.
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