California Association of Museums Meetup in Oakland California On Common Ground

 https://abc7news.com/huey-p-newton-frederika-black-panther-party-cause-of-death/12827695/

Photo opp with Fredrika Newton, co-founder of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation

The highlight of March Wonem's History Month, besides my daughter celebrating her 37th birthday on March 5, was meeting and listening to candid stories and life narratives of Fredrika Newton as she presented as the keynote speaker for "On Common Ground."  What an honor to meet a voice that was and is still part of a worldwide social justice movement.

I was in legendary Oakland's Jack London Square to explore the concept of On Common Ground, March 8–11, 2023. To present Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum  CASE STUDY on creating an agile workforce.  

Fredrika Newton, co-founder of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, former Black Panther Party member, and widow of Huey P. Newton. A local to Oakland, Newton's presentation will feature community history, a conversation about the legacy of the Black Panther Party, and a Q&A about the creation of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Center for Research and Action. 

A look back at Dr. Huey P. Newton's life, legacy, and love through the eyes of his widow Fredrika

"I'm hopeful that they dig a little deeper to see that this organization was based on love," Fredrika Newton.

Fredrika Newton,

Friday, February 17, 2023 article written by Jobina Fortson

Dr. Huey P. Newton's widow shares life, legacy, and love details.

The widow of Dr. Huey P. Newton, co-founder of the Black Panther Party, sat down to share details on his life, the revolution he led, and their love.

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Dr. Huey P. Newton, co-founder of the Black Panther Party, would have turned 81 this year. His life story has been shared by many, but no one knows it quite like his widow, Fredrika Newton. She sat down with ABC7 News anchor Jobina Fortson to discuss her late husband's life, the revolution he led, and their love. The interview took place on a median along Mandela Parkway in West Oakland. The location is the site of a bronze bust created to honor Dr. Huey P. Newton. The statue was unveiled there in 2021.

Knowing the party he helped create is essential to better understand the man. The Black Panther Party, originally called the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was founded in Oakland in 1966 during the Black Power Movement. It began as a grassroots organization that dispatched legally armed members to monitor police misconduct and inform people of their rights. It quickly became an international party that developed social, educational, and health programs to serve Black and oppressed communities.

"Everyone knew about the Black Panther Party," Fredrika said. "I didn't have any intimate knowledge of the party. I was a little intimidated by the party. I wasn't politically active."

Fredrika was born and raised in Oakland, Calif., and still lives in the city.

VIDEO: The story behind the legendary Black Panther Party's revolutionary newspaper, art

Members and artwork from the Black Panther Party are shown in this undated photo.

The artistic legacy of the Black Panther Party is still widely felt decades after the revolutionary group ceased formal operations.

"I wasn't intimidated by what the party did or stood for," she continued. "What intimidated me was that I felt I wasn't enough. I didn't have a loud enough voice and wasn't Black enough to be a part of this vanguard organization. I was a teenager. I was raised in an activist family. My mother was an activist, and we marched in demonstrations from the time we could walk. But I, like many teenagers, wanted to do exactly the opposite of what my parents were doing."

Fredrika credits her neighbors, including Tom Hayden, a prominent social activist and at one time married to Jane Fonda, for her formal introduction to the party. On August 5, 1970, Fredrika's neighbors took her to the "Free Huey" rally as he was released from prison. The rally drew a massive crowd of supporters outside the Alameda County Courthouse.

"I remember being really close to him when he was standing on top of the Volkswagen and being kind of mesmerized by it," Fredrika went on. "You know, he looked like a God, and the crowd around me was diverse. So I remember being struck by that."

Following this experience, Fredrika went to college in Oregon, but she returned home on school break to an encounter that would change her life.

"My mother announced that he (Huey) was coming over for breakfast," Fredrika said. "She told me that she was actually doing work for the party. She was a realtor. Her whole life, she fought against redlining and racism in the real estate industry. That was her work. She was responsible for placing Huey in a secure place when he was released."

Fredrika's mother, Arlene Slaughter, was Jewish and a statewide leader in the fair housing movement. She made Black homeownership possible for many families in Oakland and Berkeley.

"My mother would pose as the buyer," Fredrika said. "She was responsible for the first Black family buying a home in San Leandro."

The Black Panther Party was Arlene Slaughter's client.

Fredrika described what her home looked like the day she and Huey met, "It was a little Berkeley brown-shingle small house, and it was packed full of people."

"I remember what I wore that day," Fredrika continued. "I was wearing some purple tie-dye pants and a top that didn't even match a gold top. I remember they were asking him all these ideological and esoteric political questions. It was way over my head in the conversations.

The bronze statue of Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Newton will be the first permanent art installation to honor the party in Oakland.

Artist Dana Tate

Unveiling of the Bronze Sculpture

Huey Newton Bronze Sculpture 

Dr. Huey P. Newton was gunned down by a man who was a drug dealer and member of the Black Guerilla Family. It happened a block from where Fredrika and Jobina conducted their interview. The two walked down the street to where Huey took his last breath. It was near a light pole at 9th and Center Streets in West Oakland. A stretch of 9th Street was renamed Dr. Huey P. Newton Way in 2021.

"All of a sudden, I have the legacy of the Black Panther Party and Huey Newton land in my lap," Fredrika said. "I just felt ill-prepared to know how to handle it, so for many years, I didn't."

In 1995, Fredrika co-founded the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation to preserve and promote the history of the Black Panther Party. The foundation has published books, created the first permanent public art piece on public land commemorating the party's legacy, and much more.

"We're working with the National Park Service to create a Black Panther Party National Park as well," Fredrika said. "We are working with the Oakland Museum. We've created a virtual reality piece in the museum and other places. We're working with the state to create a curriculum so that the Black Panther Party history is now in every textbook from K through 12."

When asked what Huey would say about how far she and the foundation have come, Fredrika paused and replied, "I wonder. I come down here (the site of Huey's bust). I come down here a lot, and I talk to him. I think he'd be really proud."

Fredrika and Jobina rode around Oakland together, and there's evidence of Huey's legacy and the global movement he helped create just about everywhere. People continue to learn more about the party's history, like the unknown women of the organization. At one point, women made up over 70 percent of the Black Panther Party.

Some scholars have characterized the Black Panther Party as the most influential organization of the 1960s, while other academics found their work more criminal than political. The history is undoubtedly controversial, but it's fascinating to see it go from being vilified in mainstream media to now imitated in pop culture and even inspiring a Marvel superhero.

"I'm actually not mad at it," Fredrika said. "I love that people have embraced the spirit of the Black Panther Party, and I'm hopeful that they dig a little deeper to see that this organization was based on love. That young men and women did all this work we've discussed, laid their lives on the line, sacrificed their family, and all things material out of love for the community."