To Die for the People - Softcover

Huey Newton

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0872865290 ISBN 13: 9780872865297

Publisher: City Lights Publishers, 2009

Synopsis

Long an iconic figure for radicals, Huey Newton is now being discovered by those interested in the history of America’s social movements. This new release of a classic collection of his writings and speeches traces the development of Newton’s personal and political thinking, as well as the radical changes that took place in the formative years of the Black Panther Party. More than just a historic record, Newton’s prescience and foresight make these documents strikingly pertinent today.

Huey Newton was the founder, leader, and chief theoretician of the Black Panther Party, and one of America’s most dynamic and important revolutionary philosophers.

About this title

About the Author

Huey Newton was co-founder and leader of the Black Panther Party, and its chief theoretician. In 1967 Newton was arrested and charged with killing an Oakland police officer during a dispute, leading to a much-publicized "Free Huey" campaign. In 1980, Newton earned a doctorate in philosophy from the University of California. He died in 1989.

Toni Morrison is a Nobel-prize winning American author, editor and professor. Among the best known of her novels are The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon and Beloved, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1988.

Elaine Brown became, in 1974, the first and only woman to lead the Black Panther Party. Today, as an activist, writer and popular lecturer, she promotes the vision of an inclusive and egalitarian society, focusing on resolving problems of race, gender oppression and class disparity in the United States.

Review

"Huey P. Newton's To Die for the People represents one of the most important analyses of the politics of race, black radicalism, and democracy written during the civil rights-Black Power era. It remains a crucial and indispensible text in our contemporary efforts to understand the continuous legacy of social movements of the 1960s and 1970s."—Peniel Joseph, author of Waiting Til the Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of Black Power in America

"Huey P. Newton's name, and more importantly, his history of resistance and struggle, is little more than a mystery for many younger people. The name of a third-rate rapper is more familiar to the average Black youth, and that's hardly surprising, for the public school system is invested in ignorance, and Huey P. Newton was a rebel—and more, a Black Revolutionary . . . who gave his best to the Black Freedom movement; who inspired millions of others to stand."—Mumia Abu Jamal, political prisoner and author of Jailhouse Lawyers

"Newton's ability to see theoretically, beyond most individuals of his time, is part of his genius. The opportunity to recognize that genius and see its applicability to our own times is what is most significant about this new edition."—Robert Stanley Oden, former Panther, Professor of Government, California State University, Sacramento

"The former leader and chief theoretician of the Black Panther Party, Huey Newton was (and for some, remains) an iconic figure. This new edition of writings and speeches from between 1967 and 1971 moves Newton out of the haze of memory and brings his ideas (as well as the early history of the Panthers) into sharp focus. Recording the Party's internal struggles, rivalries, and contradictions, selections trace the development of Newton's personal and political thinking during these tumultuous five years. A new introduction by activist and former Panther Elaine Brown puts Newton's writings and political ideas into broader perspective. This book will greatly appeal to both political activists and readers interested in the history of social movements."—Book News

"Golden Gate Park has once again become a nexus for huge music concerts. . . . Politically speaking, it's especially important to bridge a sense of then and now. One person who will be doing exactly that is David Hilliard, former chief of staff in the Black Panther Party, author of many books, and current-day teacher. 'Our purpose was always to ensure that art was part of our revolutionary political process,' says Hilliard."—Johnny Ray Huston, San Francisco Bay Guardian

Edition details

• Publisher: City Lights Publishers
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0872865290
• ISBN 13: 9780872865297
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 248
• Editor: Toni Morrison