Happy birthday to legendary Black Panther and revolutionary Marxist-Leninist Fred Hampton! Born in Chicago in 1948 Hampton became deputy chairman of the Black Panther Party and chair of the Illinois chapter. He was one of the most prominent anti-racists of his era, fighting not only against white supremacy but also through multicultural organizing. Hampton helped found the Young Patriots, which organized poor whites, and the Young Lords, which involved organizing Hispanics.
In December 1969 he was brutally murdered by police who drugged and then shot in his bed during a pre-dawn raid. 100 gunshots were fired into the apartment.
Watch Fred Hampton explain how those in power in capitalist societies use racism to maintain their rule by dividing the working class and oppressed people. At a time of massive inequality and the increasing rise of far-right racism, his message is still incredibly important.
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