The Relationship Between Government Documents and Black People Through the Coverage of the Black Panther Party

Abstract

The Black Panther Party (BPP) was a political organization rooted in Marxist-Leninist ideologies. This paper uses the BPP as a case study to examine how government documents cover Black people. This paper will only look at government documents from the period when the BPP was active, between 1966 and 1982. A distinction should be made between coverage of Black people through government documents through a government organization such as the US Census Bureau and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The US Census Bureau does cover Black people and represents information on Black people in the United States. This information could include but is not limited to, how many Black people there are in a specific area or how many Black people there are by gender. In comparison, the FBI might have a biased agenda regarding why records were collected on Black people. While government organizations such as the US Census Bureau are valuable resources to examine how government documents cover or represent Black people, this paper will focus on government organizations that have the latter or a biased agenda. Bias typically has a negative connotation. However, in the case of the FBI, their mission is to protect the United States. Some FBI officials may have a bias in how this mission could be accomplished. This bias is not negative on its own, yet it could negatively affect certain people or groups. This paper intentionally argues that the coverage in official government documents of the Black Panther Party reflects how government documents cover Black people. While not all Black organizations represent all Black people, government officials use Black organizations as a method to provide their opinions on Black people through government documents.