Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation

The Huey P. Newton Foundation was started by David Hilliard and Fredrika Newton to develop and sponsor cultural, historical and educational programs and institutions consistant with the theories and teaching of Huey Newton and the philosophy and ideology of the Black Panther Party. Huey P. Newton founded the Black Panther Party during the late 1960's to organize and train African Americans to protect themselves against official violence. As the Party evolved, Newton professed the development of programs for the Black community and the philosophy of self-help.

From the description of Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation Inc. collection, 1968 -1994. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 462019372

Biography / Administrative History

In 1966 a group of young, African-American men attempting to organize the black community formed the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense and put forth their agenda in a document entitled "What We Want...What We Believe". The Party organized armed patrols, well-versed in civil rights, to protect their communities by monitoring the activities of the community law enforcement officers. Its leaders were Bobby Seale (Chairman of the Black Panther Party from 1966 -1974), Huey P. Newton (Minister of Defense from 1966 -1981), Eldridge Cleaver (Minister of Information), David Hilliard (Chief-of-Staff), and others.

The first office of the Black Panther Party was opened in Oakland, California on January 1, 1967. By November 1967 most of the Party members and leaders were incarcerated with Huey Newton being arrested for the shooting of an Oakland police officer. "Free Huey" rallies, the development of a Party newspaper and speaking engagements by members transformed the Party from a self-defense organization to a political one.

By 1968 the implementation of community programs took hold -free breakfasts for schoolchildren, medical clinics, schools, and political education classes for all members. Branches were developing around the nation. But the leadership was struggling with Newton still in jail and dealing with his many legal battles; Cleaver in exile; and Seale and Hilliard in and out of power. Federal and local law enforcement agencies, conscious of the growth and development of the organization, its continued armed police patrols, and its often violent methods began keeping photos and dossiers on various members and their activities.

By 1969 the Black Panther Party experienced further conflict; the infiltration of disguised police informants and ideological disagreement amongst the ranks created internal instability. Such disputes, however, were momentarily set aside when, in 1970, Huey P. Newton was freed from prison. With his conviction overturned, Newton returned to prominence as the Party's national leader, and community support grew once more.

A major faction of dissent, lead by Eldridge Cleaver, nevertheless had been firmly established in Newton's absence. Cleaver's dispute centered on the terms of revolution; whereas Newton saw revolution as a process, Cleaver advocated for immediate confrontation. The guns which Panthers first used as a tool for self-defence in 1966, in Cleaver's hands,offered as an ultimatum to society. Newton's philosophy of community service, by contrast, is reflected in the development of Survival Programs such as the Oakland Community School and Seniors Against a Fearful Environment. The Party expelled Cleaver and his comrades in 1972 1for the welfare of the organization and Black communities.

In 1973, the party experienced another crisis in leadership. Huey Newton fled into exile to Cuba rather than facing arrest and Bobby Seale decided to resign from the Black Panther Party. Elaine Brown assumed the position of chairman of the party and developed the community programs that were in existence. When Huey returned in 1977, the party again experienced a period of divided loyalties between favorite leaders and confusion reigned. By 1981 the final community school sponsored by the Party closed and the Black Panther Party came to an end.

Huey P. Newton was a strong force in the development of the Black Panther Party with his ideas and charisma. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1980 and wrote several papers and books depicting his theories and his work within the party. After his death in 1989, the Huey P. Newton Foundation was started by David Hilliard and Fredrika Newton to develop and sponsor cultural, historical and educational programs and institutions consistent with the theories and teaching of Huey Newton and the philosophy and ideology of the Black Panther Party.

From the guide to the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation Inc. collection, 1968-1994, (Stanford University. Libraries. Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives.)