The influences of the black Panther Party (USA) on the vanguard party of the Bahamas (1972–1987)

Abstract

In 1972 in Nassau, Bahamas, the Vanguard Nationalist and Socialist Party (VNSP) was founded by a multi‐class group of Bahamians to fight the corruption, victimization, and denial of democratic rights that the mostly Black Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) was practicing against Bahamians of all races, colors and creeds who opposed them. The PLP had won power in 1967 from a White minority controlled party called the United Bahamian Party (UBP), which was the political instrument of this racial group that controlled the Black majority for nearly 300 years. After initially addressing the needs of the masses by building schools, opening access to credit, liberalizing the civil service and so on, approximately three years into its first term (five years) the PLP rulers started carrying out shady deals with foreign investors and casino operators, made the civil service a patronage nest, stifled free expression, and used government contracts to benefit their supporters. From 1972 to 1987, the Vanguard Party openly challenged the neocolonial Pindling government in the press, elections and demonstrations in a country where citizens were afraid to speak out. In 1986 after 14 years of battling the Pindling Regime, the planners of the Vanguard Party called for a recess to rethink strategies and regroup. The regrouping failed to occur, and by 1987 the Party was defunct. The Vanguard Party, although grounded in the Bahamian experience, found many of the programs, strategies and tactics of the Black Panther Party, like its newspaper, wearing of uniforms, 10‐point program, liberation schools and so on, useful in its own struggle.