Huey P. Newton Founder of the Black Panther party
             During the Late 1960's and early 70's posters of the Black Panther Party's co-founder, Huey P. Newton were plastered on walls of college dorm rooms across the country. Wearing a black beret and a leather jacket, sitting on a wicker chair, a spear in one hand and a riffle in the other. According to Albert and Hoffman (the authors of we shall overcome) stated that, " the poster depicted Huey Newton as a symbol of his generations anger and courage in the face of racism and imperialism (Albert and Hoffman 4,45). His intellectual capacity and community leadership abilities helped him create the Black Panther Party.
             Huey P. Newton was born February 17, 1942 in Oak Grove Louisiana, however when he was just two years old his family migrated to Oakland California. During childhood, his baby face, light complexion, medium height, squeaky voice, and his name "Huey", forced him to learn how to fight early on in life. Co- founder of the black Panther Party, Bobby Seale stated in his book Seize the Time that, " Huey's quick wit and strength earned him respect of his peers and the reputation of being a tough guy (Seale 40). Upon his enrollment at Merritt College Huey's academic achievements quickly surpass other students, while at the same time he was still able to relate to those he grew up with on the streets of Oakland. Autobiographer, Hugh Pearson in shadow of the Panther reports that, Huey " remained comfortable on the street corners with young Negro men who drank wine all day... and fought one another- young men who most college- bound Negroes shied away from (Pearson 115)." His ability and desire to develop his intellect and receive a college education while still identifying with his peers on the street played an influential role in his effective leadership in the Black Panther Party. Influenced by Malcolm X's nationalism, Che Gu...