Hilliard, David, ed.: The Black Panther Party: Service to the People Programs.

• Author: Benson, Larry
• Position: Book review

Hilliard, David, ed. The Black Panther Party: Service to the People Programs. Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press, 2008. viii + 158 pages. Paper, $19.95.

Divided into four parts, this book examines certain ideals of the Black Panther Party in an effort to provide a model for establishing social-service programs for the benefit of the people. Whether one is a student, scholar or an activist, this book can be of great value.

In his introduction, Hilliard addresses the issue of the survival of this organization. Even though the Black Panther Party (founded in 1966) has been ferociously attacked and demonized by the news media, it still exists. A major reason for this is the party's service to the people. That service is reciprocated by the community's giving of devotion, love, energy, and time.

Part 1, the bulk of this work, serves as a practical guide for establishing and maintaining certain social services. Structured to meet the needs of oppressed communities, these programs can help individuals take concrete action to deal with their circumstances. Here one finds advice on how to manage these programs (which are free to the community). This includes minimum equipment and personnel needed, as well as raising funds. These services range from health clinics and food services to education, clothing, and housing. In addressing the main purpose of these programs, Hilliard writes, "The survival programs are not answers or solutions, but they will help us to organize the community around a true analysis and understanding of their situation" (p. 4).

Beginning with Part 2, the remainder of this book is devoted to theoretical positions advanced by the Black Panther Party. Here one finds a call to eliminate the offices of the president and the vice president of the United States. Published in 1974 in response to the Watergate scandal, party leaders declared that the occupants of these positions had acquired excessive power, which, in turn, led to abuse of power. The expansion of American economic, military, and political power overseas that citizens had to pay more taxes to support made the president more powerful than any king in history. The Black Panther Party argued that these powers should be restored to Congress.

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