Black Panther Party, Winston-Salem, North Carolina Chapter facts for kids

The Black Panther Party was an important group that worked for the rights of African Americans. The chapter in Winston-Salem, North Carolina was started in 1969 and was active until 1978. It was the very first Black Panther Party chapter to be formed in the Southern United States! It's mostly remembered for its helpful community programs, which the national Black Panther Party called "survival programs."

These programs aimed to make life better for the African-American community in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They included a free breakfast program for local children and the Joseph Waddell People's Free Ambulance Service.

Like many other Black Panther Party chapters, members in Winston-Salem faced a lot of challenges and criticism. This came from the FBI, other police groups, and even some people in the Winston-Salem, North Carolina community. All members of the Winston-Salem chapter were African American. The North Carolina chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which mostly had white staff, strongly supported the Winston-Salem Black Panthers in court and in the news.

Two of the co-founders and important members, Larry Little and Nelson Malloy, learned a lot about leadership with the Panthers. They continued to be involved in politics in the city. Both of them were later elected to the Board of Aldermen in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

In 2012, the city of Winston-Salem, North Carolina put up a special historical marker. This marker honored the local Black Panther Party chapter, recognizing the good things they did for the community during a time of big social and political changes.

What the Winston-Salem Black Panthers Achieved

The Winston-Salem, North Carolina chapter of the Black Panther Party helped improve the lives of Black people in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They did this by offering important programs and by making people more aware of racial issues, both locally and across the country.

Helping the Community

The North Carolina Black Panthers spent most of their time doing public service work in their local area. In their early years, the Winston-Salem, North Carolina chapter worked to provide breakfast for school children. They gave out food that was donated by local businesses. The breakfast program was simple but very popular and successful. It was great at giving children from poor families an important meal every morning during the school year.

Later, the chapter started several other programs that were not expensive but very helpful for poorer residents in Winston-Salem. These programs included free pest control, which was usually too costly for many Black residents. They also offered free transportation to and from prison for people who had family members locked up. The chapter also organized clothes drives and offered inexpensive testing for sickle cell anemia, a blood condition.

One of the group's most successful achievements was establishing a free ambulance service. Healthcare costs were a big problem for low-income Black people everywhere. However, no other chapter of the Black Panther Party provided a similar program or solution for its community. The free ambulance program in North Carolina gave Black people free transportation and healthcare when they needed it.

In its final years, one of the main goals of the Winston-Salem, North Carolina chapter was to help Black people register to vote. According to the FBI, at their most successful voter registration event, the chapter registered over 500 new voters. This was called the "most ambitious project" the North Carolina chapter had done up to that point.

In 1972, the Winston-Salem, North Carolina chapter, along with the national Black Panther Party, started to change how the public saw the party. The Winston-Salem branch followed instructions from the National Party. They began working with churches, traditional Black community leaders, small business owners, and ministers. They tried to bring about change by working through regular legal systems. This change in approach was successful for the North Carolina branch. It directly led to the creation of several very important community programs, like the free ambulance service. It also helped the party gain more support within the community.

Before this, the party's more aggressive approach scared more Black people than it attracted. This cost the chapter many supporters in the community. Larry Little called this change an ideological shift "...from guns to shoes." This helped the party get more support, but it still wasn't enough for the Winston-Salem chapter to achieve all its goals.

Raising Awareness

The Winston-Salem, North Carolina chapter of the Black Panther Party helped people learn about their beliefs through the Black Panther newspaper. This newspaper was the chapter's main way to earn money throughout its existence. The chapter bought newspapers from the national headquarters at a low price. Then, they could resell them to raise money for local programs. They also used the newspaper to inform the local Black community about Black Panther Party news across the country.

The Winston-Salem, North Carolina chapter not only raised awareness by selling newspapers locally to inform people in North Carolina, but they also wrote and published many articles in the newspaper about local events. Publishing these articles brought the Black community together. It showed that all Black people, not just Party members, were facing unfair treatment. It encouraged Black people everywhere to join the fight for their rights.

Lasting Impact

The Winston-Salem, North Carolina chapter lasted until 1978. This made it the last official branch of the Black Panther Party on the East Coast.

The Party's Impact

The lasting impact of the Winston-Salem, North Carolina Panther Party is quite different from other Panther parties around the country. This is because of its successful change in approach. It was arguably the most effective branch at putting the community service plan into action, which was suggested by the national headquarters. The Winston-Salem, North Carolina Panthers found their success in service programs, rather than in violent protests. This made it a great example of what the national organization hoped for.

The branch is mostly remembered for its service programs, like its free breakfast program and ambulance service. It also gave poor Black people in Winston-Salem, North Carolina a stronger voice in politics. Black people who once lived in fear felt stronger because of the Panthers. They felt encouraged to stand up and defend themselves. This chapter, which was the first to form in the South, created a lasting impact. It was firmly recognized in Black North Carolina history by the early 1980s. Its positive changes were recognized again in 2012 with the unveiling of a Black Panther Party marker.

Leaders in Politics

The programs of the Winston-Salem Black Panthers ended when the party closed in 1978. However, the activism of its main leaders continued for many years. Several members of the Winston-Salem branch went on to become important political figures or influenced public life in other ways. For example, Larry Little was called the most influential African American citizen in the area by the Winston-Salem daily newspaper. Nelson Malloy served as North Ward alderman after Little. The later success of the Winston-Salem Panthers' leaders shows another major impact of the party: it served as a training ground for Black elected officials.