On Aug. 18, Dhoruba bin Wahad and Kalonji Jama Changa held a press conference describing the New Black Panther Party attack on them 10 days earlier.
by Elbert “Big Man” Howard
Like many of my comrades, original Black Panther Party members, I have for years watched these strutting caricatures who call themselves the New Black Panther Party and expressed my disgust. First of all, I say there is no such thing as a “New” Black Panther Party. If this group is anything, it is a collective of racist, reactionary thugs and tools of the still-very-much-alive Cointelpro government agency.
Like others, I have had to explain to many folks, who are not aware of what the Black Panther Party was about, what our original BPP history and legacy is and what damage these thieving, reactionary mimics have done to that legacy. This makes me angry, as I am now 77 years old, with just a limited amount of energy, and I am getting tired of doing this. So, in the past, I have limited my comments to an extent, as I have always felt that these fools need to be given as little acknowledgment and public attention as possible.
I have always felt that it was just a matter of time before they self-destructed. Since coming to public notice, this group has shown itself to be little more than opportunistic, treading on the work, dedication, and sacrifices of others.
After all, what community programs have they created in all these years? What good have all their racist epithets or their military-style formations in black uniforms done our Black communities? What kind of learning institutions or medical centers have they opened?
Elbert “Big Man” Howard is a founding member of the Black Panther Party and is an author, lecturer and community activist in Sonoma County. He can be reached at bigman0138@aol.com