The Black Panther Party, formally founded on October 15, 1966, is often romanticized, subjected to disproportionate scrutiny, or viewed only as an activist organization. In this week's episode, we hear a speech Dakota Fronterhouse—the producer of Naptown People's Radio—delivered on 59th anniversary of the Party's founding.
Fronterhouse provides the historical and material context that birthed the organization, defined its context, and posed immediate obstacles in its pursuit of achieving "Black Power," or "All Power to the People." Placing the group's rise and fall within the international context of the decline of the era of global revolution, Fronterhouse delves into the ideological and political contributions to the struggle while drawing out lessons we can learn from their experience today.