The case of you can't be a good living. Make it back! This is hell.

manufacturing descent since 1996. This is hell and the source of the

dissent we will be discussing today is the Black Panther Party

specifically its rise to prominence in 1960s Los Angeles,

a place uniquely suited for such an uprising of racialized political dissent.

If you are not an historian on the subject, like today's guest, you may, like I did, have some

impressions or beliefs about the Panthers that are at best misleading, at worst, incredibly misguided.

It appears the party had a communist problem.

That was not a problem at first, but became a problem when some leaders turned against the writings of Marx.

Many believe the future of the movement was to embrace those who were not necessarily

interested in revolution, especially an armed militant uprising against violent and deadly policing in Los Angeles.

Deadly policing that was acting, police that were acting with impunity,

but at the core of the Black Panthers from its beginning, and the many

movements for Black American liberation dating to before World War II, and even going back to the

turn of the century was socialism and an understanding of

racialized labor exploitation. That message was spread throughout

Southern California's growing a massive prison system, its opening of accessibility to colleges, the

area's highway system, and the fact that black soldiers were far more likely to die in

the Vietnam War and to get dishonorable discharges as well. Many thought the them from Vietnam which further ignited their militancy in a belief in armed

struggle that would eventually be turned against them by leadership that was

no longer interested in socialism or revolution. I know it's a lot to digest but fortunately for us our guest today

is listener favorite and historian Gerald Horn who's going to be joining us in a few to discuss

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