Original Panthers Respond
Several members of the original Panthers have condemned the NBPP's racism and anti-Semitism. Bobby Seale, co-founder of the original Panthers, believes that the New Panthers have "hijacked our name and are hijacking our history." David Hilliard, a former original Panther and executive director of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, said that the New Panthers "totally abandoned our survival programs." He also said that the racism that the group "espouse(s) flies directly in the face of the Black Panthers' multicultural ideology and purpose."
Still, Malik Shabazz claims that "our position is the Panther exclusively belongs to no one. It belongs to the people." According to Shabazz, the original Panthers "are really working with the Zionists. I think their lawyer is one. I think they are being used by outside forces to keep alive the counterintelligence program of the F.B.I. and the U.S. governConclusion
By feeding off of the nostalgia for, and presenting itself in the image of, the original Panthers, the New Black Panther Party for Self Defense has been able to survive the death of its most controversial leader and maintain its influence in the black community. While the NBPP still attracts some followers under the guise of championing the causes of black empowerment and civil rights, its record of racism and anti-Semitism has overshadowed any of its efforts to promote black pride and consciousness. ment, creating divisions and factions among black organizations."