Existing comment:
Huey Newton, 1942-1989
Born Monroe, Louisiana
Born in Louisiana, Huey Newton was named after the populist firebrand governor of the state, Huey Long, and he did his best during a tempestuous -- and sometimes violent -- political career to live up to his namesake's reputation. The Newton family moved to the San Francisco Bay area in 1945, and Oakland would always be Huey Newton's home and the center for his political activities. As a college student, Newton co-founded the Black Panther Party with Bobby Seale in 1966; Newton was the party's minister of defense. The Panthers represented the split in the civil rights movement that was emerging as a younger, more militant generation became politically conscious and active. The Panthers preached community organization and self-defense, and expressed contempt for older civil rights groups like the NAACP. Violence stalked Newton from his days as a street criminal to his ultimate killing by a rival political group.
James E. Hinton Jr., 1970 (printed 2001) |