Huey Newton

Huey Newton was an African-American social activist and one of the co-founders of the Black Panther Party. He was born in Monroe, Louisiana on February 17, 1942. After his parents moved to Oakland, California, Newton became involved in several minor crimes throughout his youth and developed a strong distrust of police officers. After graduating from high school, Newton began attending Merritt College.http://www.africawithin.com/bios/huey_newton.htm

While in college, he helped to get the first black history course offered at the institution. As his education progressed, he began reading works by Malcolm X, Che Guevara and Mao Tse-Tung. His views became more militant and, when he met Bobby Seale, the two decided to form the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense in 1966. Seale was the president of the organization and Newton was the Minister of Defense.http://www.africawithin.com/bios/huey_newton.htm

The Black Panthers believed that a violent stance and violent action might be necessary to ensure equal rights for Blacks in the United States. A Ten Point Program was developed which outlined the group's major goals, including:

1. an end to the exploitation of Black communities
2. improved housing in Black communities
3. better education and jobs for Blackshttp://www.biography.com/articles/Huey-P.-Newton-37369
4. policing the police to make sure that the rights of Blacks were not violatedhttp://www.africawithin.com/bios/huey_newton.htm

To make sure that Black people were not harassed or denied of their rights by officers, the Black Panthers armed themselves heavily and followed police during their arrests. They then made sure that Black suspects were advised of their rights and posted bail for Black defendants.http://www.africawithin.com/bios/huey_newton.htm In addition to this, the BPP provided free lunches for school children and opened medical clinics in low-income neighborhoods. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAnewtonH.htm

During a traffic stop in 1967, Oakland police officer John Frey was killed during a shootout between the Panthers and the Oakland police. Newton was wounded during the incident and he was later charged in Frey's death. He was eventually convicted of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to 2 to 15 years. In 1970, the California Court of Appeals reversed the decision and, after two mistrials, the charges were dropped.http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/huey_newton.htm

After his release from jail, Newton tried to change his image by renouncing violence. By then, the Black Panther Party had begun to dissolve and splinter into separate groups, including one led by former colleague Eldridge Cleaver. To clarify his views, Newton published his autobiography, Revolutionary Suicide in 1973.http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAnewtonH.htm In 1974, Newton was again arrested and charged with the murder of a prostitute. Facing more charges, he fled to China where he was offered political asylum.http://www.africawithin.com/bios/huey_newton.htm Upon his return to the US, he was tried twice for the murder, but again charges were dropped after both trials ended in mistrials.http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAnewtonH.htm

In 1980, Newton earned his Ph.D from the University of California Santa Cruz. But, he later became involved in more legal trouble. In the late 1980s, he was twice arrested and charged with embezzling money from the BPP. By this time, he had developed a drug and alcohol addiction. He was shot dead on August 22, 1989 during a drug deal.http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/huey_newton.htm