Revolution In Our Lifetime

A new history of the Black Panther Party, for the 50th anniversary of its founding The Black Panther Party and the movement that spawned it is one of the most storied episodes in the history of the Black freedom struggle in America, and in the history of the American Left. And yet, argues the brilliant historian Donna Murch, the Panthers’ radical moment and meaning have become obscured—first, by government repression, and then by the narrowing of demands and alternative politics in the fifty years since the founding of the party in Oakland in October 1966. Revolution in Our Lifetime restores the anti-capitalism and internationalist perspective—the revolutionary imagination and far-reaching politics—of the Panthers to our understanding of this crucial and fascinating movement. Written as a succinct and accessible essay, this new history provides the sharpest picture of the Panthers while reflecting on their legacy and relevance today, in a renewed era of Black and youth protest.