A Letter From Huey Newton to Cam Newton (From One Black Panther to the Other)
Young Brother,
Fifty years ago I cofounded the Black Panther Party. I did this because I lived in a country where white folks are God fearing, Jesus loving and believe they must treat every man as they would want to be treated- as long as that man looks like them. I live in a country that has done not a thing to silence the KKK- who murder and lynch black men and women, boys and girls in the south, but was hell bent on destroying the Black Panther Party -calling it "the greatest threat to the internal security of this country." Its ok for these bible toting Christians that other people die, so long as these other people do not look like them. Our party is a threat because it doesn't comform to what they want us to do, we don't act how they want us to act. We won't do what they want us to do, but most of all, because we don't look like them.
My young brother, I say to you, that even though the only thing the Black man has asked of this country is to be treated fairly, this country refuses to do so. We just wanted equal rights and equal access to resources that this great country that is "home of the free" has to offer. Oh wait, whats that? Equality? Resources? Fairness? Only if you look like them.
"The revolution has always been in the hands of the young. The young always inherit the revolution."
I want you to know, that I am proud that you have felt no need to make them feel better by toning things down. Continue to do you, which makes them very uncomfortable. They are not concerned with our level of comfort when we voice how displeased we are on how events in this country today are affecting us and those who look like us. And though this is simply another football game, you have the power to start your own Panther Movement and just as I felt then, you couldn't care less how what you do -your enjoyment of the game and much deserved success -makes anybody else feel. Your only concern is being true to yourself and who you are. Trust me, they really hate that you can say how you feel and then back it up.
The NFL loves when Aaron Rodgers thrusts his groin after a touch down and even puts his guns back in their holsters. Make no mistake about it, if he was Aaron Rodgers with a brown face from Compton, they would equate his air guns with the "thug life" he must be used to living in the ghetto of L.A. There would be "no place for that in the National Football League" and "how unprofessional of him." You see, they like to have all the power and right now all the power belongs to you, young black Panther. You have the power to change the game simply because you have played it the way you have wanted to play it, and been absolutely and undeniably great at it. You have broken records and done things that even the legends of the game have not been able to do. So keep dabbing on 'em, Cam, go forth with courage and strength and when you don the black and blue like my panthers fifty years ago, may you break every rushing record and throwing record held in any Super Bowl ever. You can do it. You have the power of the people behind you, and they are your strength.
Huey P.
