“Terrorists” for justice

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Holding guns as an act of defiance, the Black Panthers Party for Self-Defense stand outside the California courthouse in protest of racist legislation involving firearms in the hands of black citizens in the 60’s and 70’s. The party sought to raise the standard for all black citizens and for them to be recognized as equals in the eyes of the law.

Madisen Judge, Section Editor

Terrorism has been a huge topic in almost every media outlet. With the recent attacks in Belgium and the previous large scale attacks in Paris, many people have become increasingly concerned about the state of the world. Terrorism is nothing new. Groups have been using it to control and inspire fear in others for years, and it is no farther than our own country.  The problem in America is how we, as a country, label a terrorist group.

In Oakland, California, Huey Newton and Bobby Seale founded the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense in 1966. The Panthers practiced militant self-defense of minority communities against the U.S. government and fought to establish revolutionary socialism through mass organizing and community based programs, such as free breakfast programs and daycare centers. The founding members opposed racist legislation passed by the California Government, and as the group grew and spread, it called for the U.S government to treat minority groups with the same respect as white citizens. Due to its opposition to the government, the party was named the greatest threat to American security and was wrongly labeled as a terrorist group. COINTELPRO is blamed for the failing of the party. COINTELPRO (Counterintelligence Program) was a series of covert, and at times illegal, projects conducted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation aimed at surveilling, infiltrating, discrediting and disrupting domestic political organizations, such as the Black Panther Party. FBI records that were uncovered show that COINTELPRO resources targeted groups and individuals that the FBI deemed troublesome to the government, including anti-Vietnam War organizers, activists of the Civil Rights Movement or Black Power movement, and a variety of organizations that were part of the broader left wing.

On the other side of the political spectrum, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), is a movement in the United States that has advocated extremism such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration. All past and present movements have called for the “purification” of American society, and all are considered right wing extremist organizations. However the KKK has never been recognized as a terrorist organization by the government, unlike the Black Panthers. They have only been referred to as a domestic extremist group which are not classified as terrorist groups. This comes from the fact they have never directly opposed the U.S government, only causing harm to minority groups that do not fit their “ideal” American. The KKK has also never been completely organized into a group, with different members branching off with differently philosophies, which has been another defense against their “terrorist” label because a terrorist cell needs to be group-oriented.

That calls into question the definition of a terrorist group in America. If a movement that has killed and tortured innocent people to spread their message is not considered a terrorist group, but a movement who sought to empower and raise the standards for their people is, then what does that say about the morals of the government? Many people feed into Islamophobia and mistakenly believe that all terrorists are Muslim extremists which could not be farther from the truth. The majority of terrorist attacks in the U.S  are caused by white Christian males. The Black Lives Matter movement of today in many senses is an extension of the Black Panthers. They want the empowerment of people of color and for police brutality against said people to cease, but how long is it until they too are labeled too dangerous for the country to handle?