Education Programs

Children in a classroom standing up

Black Panther children in a classroom at the Intercommunal Youth Institute, the Black Panther school, in Oakland, California, 1971.

Awaken through Education

According to Chairman Bobby Seale, the survival programs served to awaken the masses to a higher consciousness, educating them with the politics to change the system, the highlighting the inequities of American capitalism. The Black Panthers hosted informal community class sessions on a weekly basis. Adults listened to lectures about the Party’s Ideology as well as the concerns of their respective community. Adults were also taught how to read and write, critical skills to advance the community forward. These weekly class sessions made a significant impact on their communities.1

In June of 1969, the Black Panther Party organized the Liberation School. This program served a key educational institute for The Party and took place during the summer months replacing the Free Breakfast Program. The curriculum consisted of topics such as, current events, revolutionary culture, and revolutionary history.

The program was implemented to show Black children that one’s skin color was not important, but rather it is the class struggle between the poor, working class and small ruling class that oppresses, exploits and perpetuates racism against marginalized people.1

Focus on the Future

Educating young children on mechanics of oppression and class struggle was fundamental for sustaining the spirit of revolution for the future of the black community. The education was centered around relating everyday people with the experiences of the revolutionaries. While they taught lessons about the importance of revolutionaries in society, it was most important to teach the young children how to relate and work with one another. The liberation schools provided the children with the knowledge and skills to make sense of their oppressive conditions and develope a strong identity with one another to endure, survive, and press forward in life.1
A teacher is standing in front of a classroom full of children

1. Kirkby, Ryan J. (2011). “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”: Community Activism and the Black Panther Party, 1966–1971. Canadian Review of American Studies, 41(1), 25–62. https://doi.org/10.3138/cras.41.1.25