{"id":72,"date":"2021-12-11T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-11T05:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.dalton.org\/capstone-foodjustice\/black-women-the-black-panther-partys-free-breakfast-program-1969-1980\/"},"modified":"2021-12-11T00:26:54","modified_gmt":"2021-12-11T05:26:54","slug":"black-women-the-black-panther-partys-free-breakfast-program-1969-1980","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.dalton.org\/capstone-foodjustice\/black-women-the-black-panther-partys-free-breakfast-program-1969-1980\/","title":{"rendered":"Black Women & The Black Panther Party\u2019s Free Breakfast Program (1969 – 1980)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Introduction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Huey Newton and Bobby Seale founded the Black Panther Party (BPP) in 1966 in Oakland, California. Developed in response to the prevalence of police brutality in their communities, the BPP focused on the liberation and self-defense of Black people. <\/span>1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Newton and Seale published the BPP\u2019s Ten-Point Program on May 15, 1967, in the second issue of <\/span>The Black Panther<\/span><\/i> (the BPP\u2019s weekly newspaper). While the Party is often remembered for their push for armed self-defense, Point 10 reads, \u201cwe want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice and peace.\u201d 2<\/a><\/sup> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BPP understood that \u201cself-defense\u201d and liberation was more than just armed resistance, it required ensuring that the basic needs of the Black community were fulfilled. The American government failed to provide the Black community with adequate health care, education, and access to food. The Panthers particularly \u201crecognized hunger as one of the greatest forms of oppression,\u201d as the Black community\u2019s relationship to food is heavily intertwined with racial trauma and structural racism.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the wake of the state neglecting the Black community, the Black Panthers created a series of community-based \u201csurvival programs,\u201d including health clinics, legal aid, and, notably, the Free Breakfast for School Children program. <\/span> The first Free Breakfast Program began in Oakland and spread to BPP chapters nationwide, serving 15,000 to 30,000 children daily. The program, which relied on volunteers and donations, helped hungry Black children better focus in school and, eventually, became an educational space itself. The BPP created \u201cliberation schools,\u201d opportunities for children to learn about the Ten-Point Program, structural inequity, and famous Communist revolutionaries. The political nature of the program was highly intentional, as the Panthers believed food itself was political, and their survival programs could be a gateway to Black consciousness and revolution. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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Audio<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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