Huey Percy Newton (February 17, 1942 – August 22, 1989) was an African American revolutionary and political activist who founded the Black Panther Party. He ran the party as its first leader and crafted its ten-point manifesto with Bobby Seale in 1966. Under Newton’s leadership, the Black Panther Party founded over 60 community support programs (renamed survival programs in 1971) including food banks, medical clinics, sickle cell anemia tests, prison busing for families of inmates, legal advice seminars, clothing banks, housing cooperatives, and their own ambulance service. The most famous of these programs was the Free Breakfast for Children program which fed thousands of impoverished children daily during the early 1970s. Newton also co-founded the Black Panther newspaper service, which became one of America’s most widely distributed African-American newspapers. In 1967, he was involved in a shootout which led to the death of police officer John Frey and injuries to himself and another police officer. In 1968, he was convicted of voluntary manslaughter for Frey’s death and sentenced to 2 to 15 years in prison. In May 1970, the conviction was reversed and after two subsequent trials ended in hung juries, the charges were dropped. Later in life, he was also accused of murdering Kathleen Smith and Betty Van Patter, although he was never convicted for either death.
Newton’s deep engagement with Plato’s Republic during his formative years not only honed his reading skills but also sowed the seeds for his future philosophical outlook. This seminal work by Plato instilled in Newton a profound sense of social responsibility and a commitment to effecting positive change in the world. Building upon these early influences, Newton pursued a doctoral degree in social philosophy at the University of California, Santa Cruz, graduating from the esteemed History of Consciousness program in 1980. This rigorous academic journey further shaped his perspective on activism and social transformation, laying a solid foundation for his future endeavors in the field.
In 1989, he was murdered in Oakland, California by Tyrone Robinson, a member of the Black Guerrilla Family. His last words were,
“You can kill my body, and you can take my life, but you can never kill my soul. My soul will live forever!”
Newton’s advocacy for the right of self-defense was a fundamental aspect of his leadership within the Black Panther Party. His commitment to empowering marginalized communities through self-protection and social justice resonated with many, shaping the party’s mission and outreach. Moreover, his efforts to welcome and involve women in the party’s activities marked a pivotal shift in the narrative of gender equality within the civil rights movement. Newton recognized the invaluable contributions of women and actively promoted their involvement in various initiatives, paving the way for a more inclusive and diverse movement.
Jogo Corpo Fechado 