Umkhonto we Sizwe vs The Black Panther Party
_The African National Congress [ANC] is a South African political party founded in 1912 with the goal to improve the rights of all Black South Africans. It has struggled against the Apartheid system of South Africa since its creation. Originally the ANC started of with non violent policy in order to promote peace within the nation, but as time wore on members of the party and others suffering under the oppressive system called for more immediate action. This led party member Nelson Mandela to spearhead the creation of an armed group known as Umkhonto we Sizwe [MK] or Spear of the Nation. The goal of MK was to “[carry] out planned attacks against government installations, particularly those connected with the policy of apartheid and race discrimination”. In the early years MK had trouble with the execution of their goals. As MK gained popularity amongst the South Africans many decided they wanted to join, however, those joining lacked basic military training. This caused Mandela to leave for military training, and while he was gone Umkhonto we Sizwe accomplished a number of missions acting against the white South African government. Mandela returned to South Africa only to be jailed for leaving the country without a passport. He was sentenced to five years, and in the second year of his sentence he was put on trial again. The trial became known as the Rivonia Trial. During the trial a number of high ranking MK officials were sentenced to life in prison. This is just the beginning of the struggle for Umkhonto we Sizwe. Because of the nature of the group the white South African government were set on making sure the group couldn’t take ahold of the nation. However, despite the government’s best efforts, MK still managed to make a huge difference in the fight against Apartheid.
If you click the button above it will bring you to the manifesto of the Umkhonto we Sizwe.
If you click the button above it will bring you to the manifesto of the Umkhonto we Sizwe.
Unlike the Umkhonto we Sizwe, who were started by an organized political party, The Black Panther Party [BPP] started off as a way to protect African Americans from police brutality in Oakland, California. They did this by arming black members of the community. After a time the BPP expanded into a Marxist Revolutionary Group. Aside from counteracting police brutality against African Americans the BPP began to set up various programs focused around helping the community such as: education, tuberculosis testing, legal aid, transportation assistance, ambulance service, and the making and delivery of free shoes to poor people. Much like the MK in South Africa the BPP caught the attention of the government quickly. Not long after a group of armed BPP members march in California’s capital city, Sacramento, the FBI declared the Black Panther Party a communist organization and an enemy of the United States Government. The Party itself didn’t survive long after this, but their policies and programs would influence many activists in the years to come.
If you click the button above it will bring you to the 10 point program of the Black Panther Party.
If you click the button above it will bring you to the 10 point program of the Black Panther Party.