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A new history of the Black Panther Party, for the 50th anniversary of its founding
The Black Panther Party and the movement that spawned it is one of the most storied episodes in the history of the Black freedom struggle in America, and in the history of the American Left. And yet, argues the brilliant historian Donna Murch, the Panthers' radical moment and meaning have become obscured-first, by government repression, and then by the narrowing of demands and alternative politics in the fifty years since the founding of the party in Oakland in October 1966. Revolution in Our Lifetime restores the anti-capitalism and internationalist perspective-the revolutionary imagination and far-reaching politics-of the Panthers to our understanding of this crucial and fascinating movement.
Written as a succinct and accessible essay, this new history provides the sharpest picture of the Panthers while reflecting on their legacy and relevance today, in a renewed era of Black and youth protest.
About the author
Donna Murch is an Associate Professor of history at Rutgers University in New Jersey. She is the author of Living for the City: Migration, Education, and the Rise of the Black Panther party in Oakland, California, which won the Phillis Wheatley Prize. Her research and analysis is featured in the award-winning documentary on the Black Panthers, Vanguard of the Revolution.
Summary
A new history of the Black Panther Party, for the 50th anniversary of its founding
The Black Panther Party and the movement that spawned it is one of the most storied episodes in the history of the Black freedom struggle in America, and in the history of the American Left. And yet, argues the brilliant historian Donna Murch, the Panthers' radical moment and meaning have become obscured-first, by government repression, and then by the narrowing of demands and alternative politics in the fifty years since the founding of the party in Oakland in October 1966. Revolution in Our Lifetime restores the anti-capitalism and internationalist perspective-the revolutionary imagination and far-reaching politics-of the Panthers to our understanding of this crucial and fascinating movement.
Written as a succinct and accessible essay, this new history provides the sharpest picture of the Panthers while reflecting on their legacy and relevance today, in a renewed era of Black and youth protest.
