The Black Panther: The Official Newspaper of The Black Panther Party
The Black Panther, which hit peak circulation at 139,000 in 1970 (Lumsden 903), was the official newspaper of the Party and it covered a variety of topics from economics, politics, the movement and more; many different people wrote for the paper from countless different walks of life. This newspaper is an important artifact in this history of resistance and is a great time capsule of what life was like during that time. Also, it provides firsthand insights into how Black women were viewed by the organization, how feminist theory influenced the work of the party, and how women's issues were being framed. Linda Lumsden's work, "Good Mothers with Guns: Framing Black Womanhood in the Black Panther, 1968-1980", provides an in-depth analysis of how the newspaper portrayed black women and their roles in society. Not only were the articles themselves influential in the reframing of Black womanhood, the art published along with the written works were extremely important in depicting Black women in ways that went against popular gender/racial stereotypes.
As discussed earlier, The Black Panther Party had an image of hypermasculine men who carried guns and abused the women in their lives. The newspaper itself was actually extremely feminist and often included works written by Black women, about Black women, for Black women. It was an important avenue to combat negative stereotypes about Black women that were popular in the media and society at large. Black women were portrayed to be heroes, intellectuals, autonomous beings, feminists, activists, mothers, gun owners and more; this was extremely important because popular media often proliferated harmful gendered/racial stereotypes that reinforced Black women's inferiority. By giving Black women a platform, one built by Black people, the newspaper was able to reframe gender ideologies in the party itself and aid in combating racism and sexism.
Lumsden writes, "...by autumn 1969 the newspaper unfailingly framed black women and men as equals. It published pioneering analysis by Panther women that expanded Second Wave feminism by addressing the intersection of race, gender, and class. It never portrayed black women as sex objects or as consumers. The newspaper’s verbal and visual rhetoric offered a paradoxical blend of traditional and radical frames of womanhood. Its most provocative imagery of mothers with guns fused militant Panther rhetoric advocating armed self-defense with the traditional image of woman as guardian of the home" (Lumsden 901). The newspaper actively clashed against the typical hypermasculine perceptions of the party by loudly and proudly displaying Black Women as revoultionaries, independent from Black men. It allowed Black women to share their stories of oppression and their calls for action; The Black Panther Party Newspaper was a powerful tool used in the movement for Black liberation, for men and women.
"On August 2, 1969, for example, the newspaper printed the entire text of member Roberta Alexander’s speech decrying intraparty sexism at a radical conference sponsored by the BPP. Alexander’s bold accusation against Panther men challenged the BPP’s social group identity: '[Women] are oppressed because they are workers and oppressed because they are Black. In addition, Black women are oppressed by Black men. ... The problem of male supremacy can’t be overcome unless it’s a two way street. Men must struggle, too.'" (Lumsden 905).
"A full-page interview of six unnamed Panther women on women’s liberation in September 1969 elaborated on their expectations of sexual equality. One interviewee said, 'I think it’s important that within the context of that struggle that black men understand that their manhood is not dependent on keeping their black women subordinate.'" (Lumsden 906).
Including stories like these, fought against notions that the job of a Woman Panther is to support their men and have babies; it contested the idea that Black women were merely sexual objects. The newspaper celebrated Black female resistance and often called for the protection of their sisters in the movement. Maybe most influentially, it depicted Black women with guns.
The depiction of Black women, especially mothers, with guns was an extremely important catalyst for the transformation of how Black women are perceived. Emory Douglass is a well known Panther illustrator that often drew Black women (sometimes mothers) with guns and knives. He drew poor everyday women resisting oppression in day to day life and turned them into heroes for the cause.
