3. Strain, Christopher Barry. “Civil Rights and ... - Freedom Archives

legislator from Piedmont, specifically targeted the Panthers. It would prohibit the
canying of loaded firearms in public places, and was designed to disarm the Panthers in
their provocative showdowns with Oakland cops. In a display of protest, nineteen
Panthers walked into the capitol in Sacramento with their guns and need a statement to a
shocked throng of assemblymen, photographers, cameramen, and reporters. The nation
was electrified . All eyes were focused on the Panthers' guns .39
Apart from their functionality, guns represented a critical element of the Panthers'
rhetoric, representing both a recruiting device and an exclamation point at the end of any
declaration of their political agenda. Elaine Brown used an interesting choice of words
when she explained this function of the Panthers' weaponry in her autobiography. "Guns
were the natural acct of the new black militants;' she wrote, "who were determined
to claim their manhood `by any means necessary ."' [emphasis added],° Indeed, the
Panthers used firearms as some used scarves or jewelry : to accessorize their wardrobes .
Guns, like leather jackets and black berets, were an essential part of the Panther uniform,
which conveyed strength, power, and unity . Bobby Seale described an instance in 1966
when he and Newton carried guns into a party. Oneof the partygoers curiously
questioned the two men, and asked why they were armed. `"These guns represent a new
~°See Jerry Belcher, "Oakland Black Panthers Wear Guns, Talk Revolution,"~
Francisco Examiner (Apri130, 1967) .
°Elaine Brown, A Taste of Power : A Black Woman's Storv (New York : Anchor
Books, 1992), 107.
165