Coalitions

The Black Power movement had a radical impact on grassroots organizing in poor communities of color as well as in many white progressive circles. Arguably, no other group had more influence on Latinos, Asians, Native Americans, and progressive white ethnics during this period than the Black Panther Party. Grounded in the Party’s core was its leadership in the international revolutionary proletariat struggle, a deep affinity for forming coalitions and alliances that transcended race and class, and a commitment to community service programs—survival pending revolution—as a fundamental element of human rights.

The Black Panther Party offered varied groups a perspective that helped them to develop their sense of identity, as grassroots political work gave them a new sense of themselves and the future possibilities of their communities. These groups demonstrated, by way of their bold confrontational methods, the egregious contradictions of American democracy and a shared vision of a society that valued humanity over wealth. This was highlighted by the various conventions and conferences organized during the Black Power movement, including the 1967 National Conference on Black Power in Newark, New Jersey; the United Front Against Fascism Conference that took place in 1969 in Oakland, California; and the National Black Political Convention of 1972 in Gary, Indiana. At the 1970 Revolutionary People’s Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, delegates from an array of organizations gathered to write a new constitution that articulated a united vision of a just and free society.  In essence, the constitution was representative of the kinds of people, communities, and organizations that created racial and class coalitions to reshape their realities.  These U.S. citizens not only called for a new nation but also for a new world that embraced solidarity, liberation, and tolerance for difference and diversity. 

Jakobi Williams, Indiana University Bloomington