James Henson, a 22-year-old man who grew up enthralled by the Black Panther Party, has decided to both follow and blaze the trail. He has organized a group aptly called the Young Black Panther Party (YBPP), reported Lansing State Journal.
Henson, a graduate of Lansing Community College, was strongly affected by George Floyd’s killing by police officer Derek Chauvin. The event served as a caveat to turn his desire into reality.
“I always wanted to start something like this, but I never really had the time,” he said. Coronavirus-induced downtime freed up his schedule enough to put his plan into action.
The Original Black Panther Party was founded on the principle of developing the Black community to the point of self-sustainability. A part of that ideal was to protect Black neighborhoods from police brutality in the ‘60s and ‘70s. They also engaged in social outreach programs and are credited with the modern free breakfast and lunch program in which many of the nation’s children are enrolled.
However, they also found themselves unfair targets of law enforcement.
The ambitious Gen-Zer plans to develop the Young Black Panther Party in a similar fashion. In addition to teaching self-defense classes, he is also stomping out hunger in food-deprived communities.
“Right now, I am donating some seeds to Black families that know how to plant,” he said.
His goal is to help the community understand that relying on the government is not the best way to operate.
Henson’s goals are admirable and necessary. In his hometown of Lansing, Michigan, racial inequality is a hot topic. Back in February, an Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office report demonstrated that police requested criminal charges against Black people at much higher rates than whites in the Greater Lansing area in 2020. Besides, Black residents were 10 times more likely to be accused of a crime.
The financial outlook for African-Americans in Lansing is just as dismal. In a city where Blacks are 23% of the population, they have a 32.54% poverty rate according to a 2019 Census Bureau report.
For now, the YBPP consists of Henson and four other leaders across the United States. However, he is proud to start with what he called a team and grow into a full-fledged organization. Black and mix-raced individuals who are 16-years-old and older are encouraged to visit the group’s website.
