Up Against the Wall: Violence in the Making and Unmaking of the Black Panther Party

FOREWORD

FOREWORD After years of research that included often difficult-to-obtain interviews with former Black Panther Party members, historian Curtis J. Austin presents his extensive work in Up Against the Wall: Violence in the Making and Unmaking of the Black Panther Party. In this book, he uncovers historical evidence related to the often misunderstood facts about the Black Panther Party and offers readers an interesting venue with which to familiarize themselves with pertinent material. Austin describes how, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, individuals from many areas of the black community joined the Black Panther Party and how it became the most potent political force in the Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area as well as a highly recognized force on the national and international scene. Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, along with hundreds of other young members of this movement, demanded that the U.S. and other governments recognize and respect basic human rights. In Up Against the Wall, many of the controversial aspects of the BPP and the atmosphere of the 1960s and 1970s are graphically illustrated. Curtis Austin not only discusses the violence within the Black Panther Party but, by his very title, describes the position of party members in relationship to the violent acts perpetuated by them and against them and other blacks in America. His book lends a much-needed historical and academic perspective that, based on his interviews with former party members and other research, attempts to explain and put into context the often misunderstood details of the history of the Black Panther Party. Although former party members’ opinions and accounts may differ , what is important here is that Austin provides a valuable framework for open discussion, acknowledges the Black Panther Party’s accomplishments as a political force, and recognizes the contributions made and inspired mainly because of love for our people. This was demonstrated in our programs, which served the basic needs of the black and poor communities. We did this by example, no matter what the personal cost. The author links the founding of the Black Panther Party to the history of the civil rights movement and takes us down into the Mississippi ix Delta, where marches and murders took place as black Americans fought for human and civil rights. The only thing more relentless than the heat of the Delta was black people’s determination to be free and their purpose and conviction to be treated with dignity and respect. Austin’s book differs from other analyses of the Black Panther Party in that it is not merely a tell-all about irrelevant personal situations within the party. It does not focus on the sensationalism associated with the party. Neither is his book simply based on autobiographical sketches of prominent party members. What he has accomplished is to provide a detailed view with academic analyses of the tactics and strategies used by the party to promote change in America and the world. He has also chronicled the forces put into play by the American government to stop those changes. He reminds us of the price paid by so many of the Black Panther Party members in the struggle to create those changes. At the very least, this book allows us an opportunity and forum to openly discuss and recognize the historical significance and contributions made by the Black Panther Party members. Even more significantly , we are encouraged to learn from the history of the Black Panther Party, reflect on how much change is still needed, and discuss how this can best be accomplished. In these times, surely that is of the utmost importance to us all. ELBERT “BIG MAN” HOWARD Author, Lecturer, and Activist Sonoma County, California April, 2006 An original founding member of the Black Panther Party, member from 1966–1974 Former editor, Black Panther Party newspaper x Foreword ...