Hip Hop Press - Hip Hop Press Releases

In the 1960's, at a time when Americans were recalibrating their
morals, when what was acceptable treatment of women and blacks was being
completely revisited and the nation's core values were being challenged,
perhaps no group was a better advocate of radical change than the Black
Panthers.

Founded in Oakland by Huey P. Newton, Bobby Seale and David Hilliard
exactly four decades ago, the Panthers grew from a grassroots students
movement to America's most recognized and feared political party,
propelling Huey's name to a level only matched by Malcolm X before him and
Nelson Mandela after.

No stranger to controversy, Huey and the Black Panthers even took the
African-American freedom struggle to an international stage after a 1971
visit to meet Chairman Mao in China. Huey made further global headlines
alongside arch US rivals Che Guevara and Fidel Castro in 1973, when
Huey fled to Cuba to avoid being jailed in the States for a wrongful
murder accusation (as did Huey colleague Assata Shakur in 1979).

Known to youth today as the aunt of best-selling rap musician of all
time Tupac Amaru Shakur, Assata remains in Cuba under US exile while her
brother, Tupac's father Dr. Mutulu Shakur, is entering the 19th year of
his imprisonment for activities in support of the Black Panther Party,
making Huey an immediate bridge between the civil rights and hip-hop
generations.

Huey's 'Spirit of the Panther' is the first authorized biography on the
life, legacy, and intellectual history of Black Panther leader Huey P.
Newton, written by former Panther Chief of Staff David Hilliard with a
foreward from Huey's widow Fredrika Newton.

As Chief of Staff of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defence, Hilliard
was actively involved in every major activity of the best-recognized
and most feared international organization of the 1960s and '70s. First
as childhood classmates, later as young adult comrades, and now as
Executive Director of his foundation, Hilliard maintains a close association
with Newton even in the fields of film (Spike Lee's "Huey P. Newton
Story" starring Roger Guenveur Smith), clothing (the Huey Foundation's
"Spirit of 66" imprint) and hip-hop (Hilliard's Black Panther Records and
Panther Fugitives youth rap group).

"Malcolm X talked about the right to defend ourselves by any means
necessary, and we're going to create the personification of his dreams,"
said Huey in a 1966 conversation with David Hilliard. "A Panther never
attacks unless an aggressor attacks him first or completely backs him
into a corner - what better name for our new movement than the Black
Panther Party for Self Defence."

"Huey - Spirit of the Panther" is out now on Avalon Publishing. And be
sure to check out David Hilliard's radio PSA with Deejay Ra,
commemorating their 3rd annual 'Black Panther History' Month.

For more about Huey P. Newton or David Hilliard visit their
BlackPanther.org and BlackPantherTours.com web sites.

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