Frederick Allen Hampton, better known as Fred Hampton, was an influential American activist in the fight for the rights of the discriminated dark-skinned population of the United States. His life was linked to the activities of the Party named Black Panthers and other organizations seeking to ensure a decent life for Afro-Americans. He was killed in 1969, aged just 21 in a targeted Federal Bureau of Investigation operation (“A brief, but revolutionary life,” 2019). Despite Hampton’s achievements during his life, he gained greater fame because of his death.
Hampton studied pre-law and the US legislative system to be able to defend against the police. Due to his knowledge, Fred became extremely useful for the Black Panthers Party and quickly took a high position in it as a chairman in Chicago and deputy chairman nationally (Gipson, 2018). His natural talents, ability to lead people, and the power he gained in the party allowed Hampton to create the Rainbow Coalition – a multicultural political organization. Apart from the Panthers, it also included the Young Lords and Young Patriots. One of the activist’s main achievements is making a truce between Chicago’s organized street groups for the common purpose of social change.
Famous Black Panther’s initiatives were free breakfasts for dark-skinned children from low-income families (Martin et al., 2016). Moreover, they were engaged in patrols of black neighborhoods to prevent violence by white police officers. The FBI considered their activities dangerous and, within the COINTELPRO program, presented the party as criminals (Shames & Seale, 2016). It made Fred Hampton a target for law enforcement, and, as a result of a series of deceptive actions, armed men broke into the activist’s apartment and shot him.
Thus, Frederick Allen Hampton became a martyr who inspired people to act actively in defense of their rights. After death, his influence increased even more significantly than it was in life (McPherson, 2019). He was one of the great people who believed in what they did and for this reason, became a symbol of the freedom movement. Now, Fred Hampton is a page of history that is important to study and remember.
References
A brief, but revolutionary life. (2019). The Village Free Press. Web.
Gipson, T. (2018). Black Panther Party true history. United States: LULU Press.
Martin, W. E., Martin, W. E., & Bloom, J. (2016). Black against empire: The history and politics of the Black Panther Party. United States: University of California Press.
McPherson, C. (2019). You can’t kill chairman Fred: Examining the life and legacy of a revolutionary. Journal of African American Studies, 23(4), 276-298.
Shames, S., & Seale, B. (2016). Power to the people: The world of the Black Panthers. Ireland: ABRAMS.