Narrative
The first of the Black Panthers’ community programs, the Free Breakfast Program provided free breakfasts to poor school children in Oakland, CA to encourage health and learning and as an alternative to the statewide School Breakfast and Lunch programs which were limited in reach. Eventually, the Black Panthers’ program grew successful enough that 36 cities had a breakfast program and the administrator of California’s School Lunch Program admitted that it fed more children than the state of California. However, intervention from law enforcement agencies and party infighting led to the dissolution of many Party chapters and the closing of the breakfast programs.
Audio