By Mary Lee<\/p>\n
The legacy of the Black Panther Party, founded in Oakland in 1966<\/a> to protect the Black community while demanding freedom and justice, lives on through an award-winning walking tour.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Black Liberation Walking Tour<\/a>\u00a0honors West Oakland\u2019s roots and a movement that changed the nation. <\/p>\n \u201cJust like we tell young people,\u201d said Dr. Saturu Ned of the Black Panther Party Alumni Legacy Network. \u201cThey want to derail you because they know your potential. If you get conscious, you are going to be a great thorn in their side. You\u2019re going to be leaders. You\u2019re going to decipher things that everybody can start changing things, because you\u2019re fearless.\u201d<\/p>\n Ned is proud to be one of the original Black Panther Party members.<\/p>\n \u201cWe call it the \u2018Royal Legacy of Resistance\u2019 that came out of Oakland and actually touched not only the rest of the nation, but the world,\u201d Ned said.<\/p>\n He remembers when he first saw the Black Panthers at the California State Capitol as a senior in high school in 1967. Their message of resistance, resilience, and survival spoke to him, and he joined the Black Panther Party a year later. <\/p>\n \u201cOur motto is \u2018Stand on our shoulders,’\u201d Ned said. \u201cThis is what we\u2019re telling the youth. We\u2019re looking at the \u2018F the streets\u2019 movement of young rappers that is taking place. Their heroes are Malcolm. So this generation, we have an unbelievable opportunity to change the dynamics.\u201d <\/p>\n Born and raised in Oakland, David Peters grew up inspired by the Black Panthers. <\/p>\n \u201cBeing five years old at that time and then coming out on the street, everybody was saying, \u2018Black Power. Black is beautiful. Black Pride,’\u201d said Peters. <\/p>\n Peters pointed out St. Augustine\u2019s Episcopal Church in West Oakland, sharing the rich history of the church\u2019s partnership with the Black Panther Party. <\/p>\n \u201cThis church was pastored by Father Earl Neil when he served as the Spiritual Advisor to the Black Panther Party at a time when the Panthers were searching for a place to meet,\u201d Peters said. \u201cBecause the Oakland police department was threatening the owners of the other meeting places to deprive the Panthers of a place to meet.\u201d <\/p>\n Peters explained that this church is where the Black Panther Party set up its very first breakfast program for children in the community. It\u2019s stories like this that motivated Peters to start the Black Liberation Walking Tour, taking people through the streets of Oakland to honor his hometown. <\/p>\n \u201cThe culture is amazing,\u201d said Peters. \u201cLike in town, everybody knows about \u2018Town Bidness,\u2019 right? We know about being, \u2018So Oakland,\u2019 and you know, I grew up in Oakland in the 70s that had so much pride and power about not only what was happening and the impact that we were having politically and globally. I mean, the Panthers inspired movements all across the world.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I was at the right place, at the right time,\u201d Ned said. \u201cI guess it was my purpose and my destiny.\u201d <\/p>\n Ned hopes the next generation knows their power and their place in a legacy of resistance born here in West Oakland. The Black Panther Party created more than 60 community survival programs<\/a>, feeding thousands of children every day through their free breakfast programs in Oakland and cities across the country. They also provided free health clinics, employment support, clothing, and transportation. These services helped redefine what community care and support looked like in America. <\/p>\n