Repression breeds resistance: The black liberation army and the radical legacy of the black panther party*

Abstract

Recent scholarship argues the Black Panther Party (BPP) existed from 1966 to 1982. Many activists and scholars argue that the BPP only existed as a revolutionary organization from 1966 until 1971, in the initial period of its existence. A significant part of the BPP's legacy is the development of and participation in armed resistance in response to a governmental counter‐insurgency campaign. As some BPP members committed themselves to involvement in clandestine resistance, this radical response accelerated the development of the armed movement called the Black Liberation Army. The focus of this study is to examine the influence and participation of BPP members and supporters on the revolutionary armed movement, the Black Liberation Army. This study asserts the activity of the radical faction of the BPP through the form of the Black Liberation Army existed just as long as the Oakland‐based Panthers, perhaps longer since it has current manifestations.