Yes. As the story goes, I was in a band called MC5 at the time, and we were in southern Cal to play a few small gigs on the West Coast that week. We had already gained a devoted following in the Detroit area, but were still pretty obscure on a national level. (This was before our appearance on the cover of Rolling Stone.) Having the night off, I went to the Oakland Raiders game along with the band's new manager, John Sinclair.
Well, who happened to sit next to me in the stands that day but none other than Huey P. Newton. We started chatting a little about team owner Al Davis and the Raider's chances that year, but the conversation gradually turned towards politics. Huey was really passionate about it, you could tell. I half-jokingly suggested he start his own party, like an activist group to advance the rights of African-Americans.
And you know what he said? He said, “Yeah, that's a great idea!” He was dead serious, too. He came up with a name for it, right on the spot: The Black Panther Party, after his favorite film, The Pink Panther, the new one with Peter Sellers.
And wow, was I excited! This really had potential! He was a fiery guy, and I knew we could start something big, right there in Oakland. We exchanged contacts and made plans to put the movement in motion. We were gonna make a difference, change the world, Huey and I. The year was 1966, and Al Davis is really fucking old.
Huey and I did start that party, just like we said we would. It began with the Black Panther's platform statement, “The Ten-Point Program.” I actually authored 9 of the 10 points, with Huey's contribution being more of an afterthought to make it a round number, but I generously gave him equal writing credit as co-author. You know, for street cred.
Sadly, that is where my direct involvement with the Black Panther Party came to an end. See, it had been my understanding that since I co-founded the party, I was, therefore, a member of the party! But Huey felt differently.
When I asked him what more I should do to help get the party off the ground, he said the best thing I could do—rather than interfere with the organization's internal affairs—was to start a another movement, one to rally the support of whites behind the Panther's cause. I understood what he meant: The Black Panther Party was for blacks only. At first, that had me slightly upset, I'll admit. Being discriminated against because of my skin color? Well, they wouldn't understand... But I wanted to help their cause, anyway. I knew in my heart I had to do something.
I got to talking about the situation with Sinclair, who, heretofore, had shown only a passing interest in politics. And that's when it hit me: Sinclair and I would form the White Panther Party, the albino branch of the Black Panther Party, with the similarly steadfast dedication to equal rights for all! The rest, my friends, is history...
Huey and I remained friends throughout this time; any initial hard feelings over our little rift were quickly forgotten. Our parties worked together towards common goals up until their disbandment in the mid '70s.
Huey died in 1989, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss him. I even gave him a shout-out in my verse the following year when collaborating with Public Enemy for their hit “Welcome To The Terrordome.” Public Enemy made just the kind of socially-conscious music he loved. But I can't listen to that song anymore. Too many memories, so much work yet to be done...
I just answered this Featured Question; you can kick out the jams, motherfuckers!
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