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Black Panther Party Liberation Schools is

Origins and goals

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The Panthers were originally formed out of a study group at Oakland’s Merritt community college. The Panthers’ belief in the need for an education beyond what was being taught in the school system led them to develop a network of liberation schools for youth.[citation needed]

David Hilliard originated the idea of a liberation-focused children's school in 1970 in Oakland. The school opened under the direction by Majeda Smith and a team of Black Panther Party members. The school was initially called the Children's House. It was a boarding school, with dormitories in Oakland and Berkeley.[1]

The Black Panther party critiqued the poor quality of school systems in Black communities.[2]

The schools were part of their survival programs intended to meet community needs[3]

issues in education they sought to resolve were

  • the relevance of material to their lives and situation,
  • attitude of instructors toward their students
  • Unifying students with the community
  • availability and affordability of books and supplies
  • community control of neighborhood schools[4]

"Ultimately making schools serve and be responsible to the surrounding poor and oppressed communities"[5]

Intercommunal Youth Institute

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The Intercommunal Youth Institute on Oakland, California was intended as a model school.[3] It was active in 1971.[6][1] For more on the Intercommunal Youth Institute, see Hilliard (2008, p. 5-9,11).

GED classes

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collaborated with the Oakland Board of Education to provide GED classes.[7]

Context and criticism

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"Swahili is an interesting language but we are not using it on IBM cards right now. Let's quit kidding white people that we're going to get on a boat and go back to Africa."

— Whitney Young, discussing Malcolm X Liberation University[8]

Future hopes

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"It is anticipated that the Adult Education Program will be extended to include consumer education, home economics, courses for senior citizens, and other courses that Black and poor residents desperately need."[7]

Closure

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The Oakland Community School closed due to lack of funding in 1982. It was the last organized component of the Black Panther Party.[9]

See also

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b Shames 2020.
  2. ^ West 2008, p. x.
  3. ^ a b Hilliard 2008, p. 3.
  4. ^ Hilliard 2008, p. 41f.
  5. ^ Hilliard 2008, p. 41.
  6. ^ Shames 2016.
  7. ^ a b Hilliard 2008, p. 12.
  8. ^ Belvin 2004, p. 81.
  9. ^ Delli Carpini 2000, p. 196.

References

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  • Belvin, Brent H. (October 6, 2004). Malcolm X Liberation University: An Experiment in Independent Black Education (M.A. thesis). North Carolina State University.
  • Delli Carpini, Michael X. (2000). "Black panther party: 1966-1982". In Ness, I.; Ciment, J. (eds.). The encyclopedia of third parties in America. Armonke, NY: Sharpe Reference. pp. 190–197.
  • Hilliard, David (2008). The Black Panther Party: Service to the people programs (PDF). Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. ISBN 978-0-8263-4394-9. OCLC 823938871.
  • Shames, Stephen (2016). Power to the people: The world of the Black Panthers. New York: Abrams. ISBN 978-1-4197-2240-0. OCLC 960165174.
  • Shames, Stephen (14 April 2020). "The 50th Anniversary of the Black Panthers". ABC News. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  • West, Cornel (2008). "Foreword". In Hilliard (ed.). The Black Panther Party: Service to the people programs.

Further reading

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Category:1966 establishments in California Category:1970 establishments in California Category:1982 disestablishments in California Category:1982 disestablishments in the United States Category:African Americans and education Category:African and Black nationalism in the United States Category:African studies Category:African-American history in Oakland, California Liberation Schools Category:Black Power Category:Educational institutions disestablished in 1982 Category:Educational institutions established in 1970 Category:Far-left politics in the United States Category:Historically black schools Category:History of Oakland, California Category:Pan-Africanism in the United States Category:Politics and race in the United States Category:Politics of Oakland, California Category:Post–civil rights era in African-American history