The dissertations will examines the reactions to US Black Panther Party in Britain, addressing how the police, the press, black people & white people living in the UK, and the British government reacted to the Black Panther Party. Many sources & books have only focused on the influence that the US Panthers had, there hasn’t been anything specific in regards to reactions to the US Panthers and this dissertation will look to delve into this. In addition, the dissertation will closely look at the British Black Panther Party, which was developed in the 60s because of the popularity & influence of the Black Panther Party. The first Black Panther Movement to form independently outside the United States. This year will mark the 50th anniversary of the UK Black Panther Party and there hasn’t been much media coverage regarding this, it seems the legacy of the party has been long neglected and underappreciated. This is one of the prime ideas behind the dissertation to share awareness of the party, which is significant to Black British History.
The main aims of the dissertation are to compare and contrast the different reactions towards the Black Panther Party. Taking a look at how black people in Britain reacted to the party and see if the party was well received amongst the Afro-Caribbean communities or did they disagree with the stance of the US Panthers? In addition, the dissertation will also examine the Metropolitan Police reaction to the Black Panther Party especially scrutinizing the ongoing rivalry between Police & UK Panthers over many issues such as violence and etc. This will lead to two main questions such, as did the London Police harsh treatment of black people as a result of the issues in America? Were the police concerned that UK Panthers would end up becoming like the US Panthers?
Understanding the government reaction towards the Black Panther Party is another key aim of the dissertation. The government were aware of the situation in the US and were skeptical as to if similar events in the states could replicate in Britain. The dissertation will look to build up an argument as to see if the government were threatened by the influence that the US Panthers may have on black people in Britain? Did the government feel that Britain could end up like the US if black people started to protest?
The dissertation will also differentiate between the white press & black press, identifying if both press differ when projecting news on the civil rights movement in the US. Was the black press more enthusiastic when it came to the party than the white press or did the white press condemn such a ‘radical’ party and give an impartial view on the party?
Street, Joe (2008) Malcolm X, Smethwick, and the influence of the African American freedom struggle on British race relations in the 1960s & Annie-Marie, The Black Panthers in London, 1967-1972: A Diasporic Struggle Navigates the Black Atlantic have been written in relation to the dissertation.
Street delves into the influence of the African American freedom struggle on Britain. The article identifies how the rise of immigration was a concerning issue in Britain and Enoch Powell, a British Politician touched on how the United Kingdom could eventually mirror the States where there was a rise of black militancy in Harlem and continued summer riots. Integration was apparently reducing U.S. cities to cauldrons of racially polarized tension and violence; Powell felt that the United Kingdom would follow a similar future. Powell reaction to Black Panther Party and their actions was opposing and his beliefs were reflected in the contemporary government at the time. Street creates a symbiotic relationship between the growing African American freedom struggle & race relations in Britain; it was obvious that the freedom struggle had an effect on Britain race relations.
Marie examined how important the position of the Black Panther party had on Britain and how the Black Power Movement in the USA caused Britain’s movement. Despite the article solely focused on the history of the British Black Panther Party, the article shows different perspectives & reactions to the Black Panther Party. The article looks at how supportive & well received the Afro-Caribbean community was to BPP. A good example of this is the 1970s protest outside the US embassy where people protested in support of the U.S. Black Panther founder Bobby Seale. However, some rejected the party excessive violence & military stance but took their ideological inspiration.
The article discusses how Metropolitan police were fully aware of the situation in the US and their reaction to the party was negative. The London Police didn’t want the Afro-Caribbean to adopt the same tactics that the Panthers were using, three London court cases from 1970 expose the conflicts between police and British Panthers revealing moments in which police concerns about Black Power and the Panthers’ aspirations are laid bare.
My dissertation will stand out further, as it will convey a message of how significant the Black British Panthers were and how their legacy should be appreciated. Moreover, it will address the fall of the party and why it was only active for 4 years despite it popularity at the time.
Photographs evoke nostalgia and show a poignant message that lasts for decades, creating a legacy and offers a way to share stories. It’s essential to use photographs as a primary source and that why I intend to use Neil Kenlock photographs. Neil Kenlock, a Jamaican photographer who took photos of the UK Black Panther movement, also documented demonstrations and anti-racism protests across the UK. Kenlock captured very pivotal images of Britain's black power movement such as the protests for Mangrove Nine. These photographs put emphasises on the hardships and the struggles that black people went through at the time and see how demonstrations were significant during that time and how it was a reflection of the ones in the US. Furthermore, I intend to also use newspapers, comparing & contrasting the white and black press, examining their views on the BBP, whether it is biased, subjective or sensationalise. Newspapers are useful as they give a contemporary insight on how society is & attitudes are at the time, so it definitely useful in seeing the press attitudes towards the party and the civil rights movement.
Manifesto would also be another primary source being used; the Black People Manifesto reflects the 10-point programme of the Black Panther Party and takes ideas from it and they’re a strong similarity. The manifesto is useful as it is able to determine a clear ideological direction for the party. It sets out the aims & objectives of the party, which infers the seriousness of the party. All these sources can be accessible in the Black Cultural Archive, which has rich history of the rise and fall of the British Black Power Movement (1967-1976) however the archive is restricted to the amount of information it can be released to the public due to it not being a prominent archive like National Archive or British Library Archive.
Other methodological issues are not having physical access to any sources of the Black Panther Party in the US unless I travel to the US. This would be an issue as finding the Black Panther Party view on if they felt they were influential in Britain would be a good perspective to see. However, online sources such as Jstor, which is accessible, should solve this issue and help me gain access to sources in the US.
This photograph is of protesters outside the Old Bailey in support of the Mangrove Nine and was taken by Neil Kenlock. Neil Kenlock, a Jamaican photographer who took photos of the UK Black Panther movement, also documented demonstrations and anti-racism protests across the UK. The photograph consists of protesters marching and holding posters with one stating ‘No justice for black people in racist courts’ with a portrait of Ku Klux Klan member & another poster saying ‘We are totally displeased with our position’. The photo only shows female protesters who are also members of the Black British Panthers that comes as a surprise but this pivotal as women played a substantial role in improving conditions for black people. The photograph is useful for the dissertation as the images express the hardships & struggle that black people were encountering during a difficult time. Their body language in the photograph seems tense & defensive; this demonstrates how significant the Mangrove Nine case was at the time and the case was Britain's most influential black power trial. The portrait of KKK member is pivotal as it shows how black people in Britain were in unison with those in the US who were aware that the government & courts were racist and their actions were similar to the KKK party. The photograph is further useful as it highlights the importance of the case and its legacy, The Mangrove case inspired other activists who felt they could take on the authorities in the name of racial justice and win.
The source is a one-one interview with Andrew Billen & Darcus Howe. Darcus Howe a prominent figure in British Black Panther Party at the time & part of the “Mangrove Nine” who protested against police raids of the Mangrove restaurant and successfully defended himself in the case. The article is a short in-depth interview with Darcus Howe on his view on racist stereotypes & being a West Indian man. West Indian men at the time were regarded as vicious, indolent, violent, licentious and subjected to discrimination. In the interview, Darcus Howe addresses stereotypes on a personal level as he has been subjected to this and talks about being West Indian men. Howe believes there is a hidden agenda to not eliminate racism and West Indian men are made to be scapegoats in society. This was an added incentive for police to continually violate without any repercussions; in fact, the article states that Police received a promotion for the number of arrests. However, Howe believes that the significance and influence of the British Black Panthers have worked well to solve this issue. This article is essential as it gives us a contemporary perspective of what West Indian men were subjected to. The article gives an overview of what black people were going through at the time and how it was similar to the situation in the US. This replicates black people situation in the states, the struggle was universal and many black Britons could identify their struggles with those in the States. It makes sense why the black community reacted to the BBP was so positive as a result of their similar situation.
This source is a newspaper dated in 1972, it was published by Black Panther Movement and titled Freedom News. It’s one of the few newspapers that were run by black people at the time and written black people too. The newspaper was specifically aimed for the black community where they able to promote Black Power, encourage the community, update the people on any latest news and also showcase news on the civil rights movement in the US, a good example is the article of Angela Davis trial where they shed light on the trial & case. The Freedom News was the main publication of the Black Panther Movement in Britain and it’s interesting to see how the black press reported news compare to the white press. The newspaper had a front-page heading & story on a campaign for the release of Joshua Francis who was wrongly convicted as well as assaulted by the police. Furthermore, it has an article on Michael X, a civil rights activists, and black revolutionary, the newspaper gives an impartial view on him as they describe his rise & fall. The newspaper is useful for the dissertation as it gives a contemporary feel on how society was and gives us an understanding of why the black press were writing articles in such a manner. The Freedom news took a similar style to the Black Panther Party newspaper so it obvious the black press reaction to the BBP was supportive.
This source is the Black People Manifesto dated in April 1979, in fact, it is a draft written by the Afro-Caribbean community where they drafted their concerns, ideas & demands regarding housing, employment, education and etc. With black people being subjected to racism, discrimination, and inequality, the manifesto was created to give a voice to the black community, as many communities were concerned about the outcome of the forthcoming election. The government had lacked in making the situation of black people better and the British Panthers hadn’t fully galvanized the government into taking action to change things. The manifesto is useful as it mirrors similarity of the 10-point programme put together by the BPP to express their demands to the US government. The manifesto has adopted some of their demands and attitudes and it definitely influences their manifesto, this is useful for the dissertation as we examine the influence the BPP had on the black communities in Britain.