Huey P. Newton
THE GOOD HOUR PRESENTS: Huey P. Newton – The Revolutionary, The Target, The Tragedy
By Candace Goodman | Investigative Reporter for The Good Blog
(Host of The Good Hour Podcast)
🔥 INTRODUCTION: WHO WAS HUEY P. NEWTON? THE MAN BEHIND THE MYTH
Few men in American history have embodied revolution as fully as Huey P. Newton. To his followers, he was an intellectual warrior—a philosopher with the spirit of a soldier, a man who could quote Marx and Mao in one breath and strategize a militant defense of his people in the next. He was not just a leader; he was a symbol of defiance, a walking, breathing manifesto against systemic oppression.
For those who only know Newton as a radical with a shotgun, you’ve been misled—and that’s by design. The government worked tirelessly to erase and distort his legacy. But to those who studied him, those who understood his ideology, Huey P. Newton was a revolutionary architect who saw past the surface-level fight for civil rights and aimed for something much greater: Black liberation by any means necessary.
When I began this deep dive into Huey’s life, I knew I had to do more than just recount his actions. I had to understand his mind. I read his writings, watched his speeches, dissected the Ten-Point Program, and analyzed every move the FBI made against him. This is not just a story—this is a reckoning with the truth.
His teachings, his struggles, his failures, and his ultimate demise tell a story that is far bigger than one man. This is a story about how America reacts to Black power when it refuses to ask for permission.
So let’s talk about Huey P. Newton—the mind, the movement, the martyr.
✊🏾 CHAPTER 1: The Birth of a Revolutionary 🌍
Before he became a symbol of Black power and resistance, Huey Percy Newton was a young man born into a world of inequality. Born in Monroe, Louisiana, in 1942, he moved to Oakland, California, where he was raised in a working-class family. Unlike many revolutionaries, Huey didn’t grow up with academic excellence; he struggled in school, later admitting that he graduated high school barely being able to read.
Yet, something was brewing within him. He educated himself, studying philosophers like Karl Marx, Mao Zedong, and Frantz Fanon. He saw the world for what it was—a system designed to oppress Black people—and he decided to fight back.
🔥 KEY FACT: He was named after Governor Huey Long of Louisiana, a populist leader who championed economic justice. Ironically, Newton would grow into a leader who would challenge the very foundations of American capitalism.
🏴 CHAPTER 2: The Birth of the Black Panther Party ⚡
In 1966, Huey Newton and Bobby Seale founded the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. The goal? To protect Black communities from police brutality and create a self-sustaining society that would uplift and educate Black citizens.
🔥 CORE PRINCIPLES:
- The right to bear arms and defend the Black community.
- Free breakfast programs for children.
- Education programs to combat misinformation.
- A ten-point program demanding land, bread, housing, education, and justice.
📢 "The revolution has always been in the hands of the young. The young always inherit the revolution." - Huey P. Newton
The Black Panthers terrified the U.S. government. They weren’t just protesting—they were arming themselves, standing up to police, and demanding real systemic change. The FBI took notice.
👁️ CHAPTER 3: Targeted by the FBI – COINTELPRO Exposed 🕵🏽♂️
Few men in American history have been more targeted by the U.S. government than Huey P. Newton. J. Edgar Hoover, the head of the FBI, labeled the Black Panther Party as "the greatest threat to the internal security of the United States."
🔴 SECRET FBI & CIA FILES REVEAL:
- Over 300 pages of FBI documents dedicated solely to Huey Newton.
- At least 24 search warrants executed on Newton’s home, cars, and known safe houses.
- Multiple assassination attempts planned or considered.
- The FBI infiltrated the Panthers, spreading misinformation and provoking internal conflicts.
🔥 KEY FACT: COINTELPRO, the FBI’s counterintelligence program, used fake letters, phone taps, and informants to dismantle the Black Panthers from within. They falsely accused Newton of betraying his own people, causing internal chaos.
👀 “You can jail a revolutionary, but you can’t jail the revolution.” - Huey P. Newton
⚖️ CHAPTER 4: The Legal War – Trials, Convictions, and Exile 🏛️
In 1967, Newton was wrongfully accused of killing Oakland police officer John Frey. His trial became a national sensation.
📜 COURT RECORDS SHOW:
- Newton was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in 1968 and sentenced to 2-15 years in prison.
- 1970:His conviction was overturned, citing multiple procedural errors.
- Huey went into exile in Cuba to escape further persecution.
Despite his legal battles, Newton remained a voice of power and resistance. But years of FBI harassment, betrayal, and stress had taken a toll. The movement he helped create was falling apart.
☠️ CHAPTER 5: The Untimely Death & Conspiracies 🔪
On August 22, 1989, Huey Newton was gunned down in Oakland, California in what officials ruled a drug-related murder. His killer, Tyrone Robinson, was a known gang member.
🚨 CONSPIRACY THEORIES:
- Some believe Robinson was a government informant used to eliminate Newton.
- FBI files suggest that COINTELPRO wanted Newton "neutralized permanently."
- Newton had become a liability—his radical ideology could still ignite a movement.
📢 “We have two choices: freedom or death." - Huey P. Newton
Even in death, the story of Huey P. Newton remains shrouded in mystery, controversy, and a tragic sense of unfinished business.
🕊️ CHAPTER 6: The Legacy & Final Reflection ✊🏿
Huey P. Newton wasn’t just a man—he was a movement. His vision of Black self-sufficiency, resistance, and education** laid the groundwork for modern activism.
💡 HIS LEGACY TODAY:
- The Black Lives Matter movement owes much to the Panthers' resistance model.
- Community programs started by the Panthers still influence food assistance and education programs nationwide.
- FBI documents continue to be released, showing just how coordinated the effort was to destroy Newton’s life and legacy.
As we honor Black history, let us remember: Revolutionaries aren’t made—they are forced into existence by oppression.
Newton’s story is a reminder that the fight for justice is ongoing.
🔍 For more deep dives into history’s most powerful figures, listen to The Good Hour Podcast!
