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Aaron / The Legacy of Black Power Movements

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Interviewer: What are your thoughts on the legacy of People’s Party Two and the Black Panther Party more generally? Aaron: Best thing when I think about the Black Panther Party and People’s Party Two was our sincerity. In spite of the mistakes we might have made, we was sincere. We was not working for no money. We was not working for no prestige. We seriously felt a love for the people and we were seriously trying to help the people’s struggle. That’s the best thing I can say about the Black Panther Party and the People’s Party Two. We were sincere. Interviewer: Along those lines, what were some of the changes that you saw in the communities here in Houston as the legacy of the People’s Party Two? Aaron: Some of the changes here in Houston? Hmm. Well, it’s hard to say because we in particular can’t take credit for—it’s hard to say other than the idea of struggle itself. We help keep the idea of struggle in the minds of people, you know. Also, not just the idea of struggle, but the idea of the right to self-defense. We help to put that to the minds of the people. That’s nothing you can put your hands on, but we did that. Interviewer: There have been efforts since, I guess, the decline of the Black Panther Party to come together. There’s been efforts to honor and come together to pay respect to the anniversary of how long the Black Panthers have resisted, et cetera. Have you attended some of those events? Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. You know Bunchie is head of the Houston (inaudible) chapter (inaudible) auxiliary. We had auxiliaries all around the country. One in Houston—practically all the cities the Panther party come up. Bunchie runs the one here in Houston. What was the question? I forgot the question. Interviewer: Just have you attended those and what do you feel you got out of those events? Aaron: Yeah. Basically just trying to keep the idea of the party alive, the idea of struggle alive. Outside of just personal satisfaction that’s it.

Interview Interview with James Aaron
Subjects Citizenship › Civic Engagement
Citizenship › Political Rights
Work
Work › Occupations
Community Organizations
Community Organizations › Civil Rights Organizations
Community Organizations › Civil Rights Organizations › National and Regional Civil Rights Organizations
Community Organizations › Civil Rights Organizations › Local Civil Rights Organizations
Race Relations
Race Relations › Black-White Race Relations
Ideology
Black Power
Black Power › Black Panthers
Black Power › Local Black Power Organizations
Tags The People's Party II
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Interview date 2016-06-08
Interview source CRBB Summer 2016
Interviewees Aaron, James
Interviewers Enriquez, Sandra
Rodriguez, Samantha
Locations Houston, TX
Duration 00:04:09
Citation "The Legacy of Black Power Movements," from James Aaron oral history interview with Sandra Enriquez and Samantha Rodriguez,  June 08, 2016, Houston,TX, Civil Rights in Black and Brown Interview Database, https://crbb.tcu.edu/clips/2586/the-legacy-of-the-black-panthers-and-the-peoples-party-2-sincerity, accessed December 22, 2024