During Beyoncé’s much-talked-about Super Bowl perfomance, the Houston singer evoked images of the Black Panthers. But how much does the public know about the group that revolutionized revolution?
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On Tuesday night, PBS will air Stanley Nelson’s documentary The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution, about the group that was founded 50 years ago by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale.
Social media is already discussing the documentary, often in relation to the Black Lives Matter movement, which many say is reminiscent of it.
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Back in the day, the Black Panther Party was called “the greatest threat to the internal security of the country” by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. And even now, some conservatives make similar comments about Black Lives Matter activists. Both the Black Panther Party and Black Lives Matter were not afraid to speak up for black people, and both have been labeled terrorist groups by some.
If your knowledge of the Black Panthers is limited, or if you know someone who could use some educating on the matter, make sure he or she is in front of a television Tuesday night. We can’t have people out here thinking Beyoncé is the only reason to salute the group.
Stanley Nelson’s The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution airs on Independent Lens 9 p.m. Tuesday.
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