The Black Panther Party

Elbert "Big Man" Howard

Carole Hyams & Elbert "Big Man" Howard, 21sep09

Elbert "Big Man" Howard was one of the six founding members of the Black Panther Party. Big Man wwas Deputy Minister of Information, a member of the Central Committee, member of the International Solidarity Committee, the first editor of the BPP newspaper and BPP spokesperson.

The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense is often ignored when the history of the Civil Rights Movement is recounted. One would think Martin Luther King Jr. liberated us by himself. The struggle to end racism and build a society based on respect, tolerance, and diversity was a multifacted struggle with many players all over the world contributing in their own way. The story of the American civil rights movement isn't complete nor accurate unless the Party is part of the tale.