Thread: The FBI and the creation of Kwanzaa 🎭
Before I get started, below is a thread of my other historical threads. Like I always say, don’t assume anything if I have not explained myself correctly. If you have any questions, ask. https://twitter.com/coachwilmore_/status/1134551407057604610
Let’s start with 1965. Most people know who Judge Joe Brown is, that’s the year he got to UCLA. Only about 150 blacks were at UCLA at the time and he helped triple that amount within a few years.
As the BSU coordinator at UCLA, Brown helped recruit a guy named Bunchy Carter. Bunchy Carter was a founder of the Los Angeles chapter of the Black Panthers alongside Geronimo Pratt(ill talk about him in another thread) but before that, Carter was a leader of the Slausons
Carter would politicize his old gang the same way Fred Hampton did the Young Lords & Latin Kings or how Tupac did the Bloods and Crips.

In addition to Carter, there was also John Huggins who came in at the time. Both would eventually be apart of UCLA and the Black Panthers.
They both were shot to death in the cafeteria of the UCLA campus by 2 members of the US organization with about 43 witnesses watching.

There was a debate on who the new BSU director would be, a fight broke out and shooting ensued.
I bet you’re wondering what does all this have to do with Kwanzaa, well stick with me.
The founder of US was a guy named Ron Karenga.

US was a black cultural nationalist group that “rivaled” the Black Panthers who based their motives from the foundation of socialism. The US organization and their beliefs however did not directly conflict with the Panthers.
Ron Karenga was an FBI agent who allowed the FBI to take control of his organization to destroy the Panthers. They did this through COINTELPRO, a government program used to manipulate, neutralize, assassinate and destroy political threats in the US.
Karenga was also the creator of Kwanzaa. The FBI pushed for Kwanzaa from Karenga in order to promote black nationalism and division in America. This countered what the Panthers were during at the time with their Rainbow Coalition & their politicization of different gangs.
Back to the shooting that occurred in 1969, neither of the two shooters were ever convicted. Two conspirators were arrested but never did any real time. Hints of working with the government.
Karenga himself, in 1971 was convicted of brutally torturing two female members of his organization. He was sentenced to 4 or 5 years, did one year and a few months after his release, was hired for a professor position in Cali.
Later on, Sylvester Bell and John Savage were also killed by US.

Both were Black Panthers and this would make four Panthers total who were killed by US, a supposed black empowerment group. Coincidence?
Back to the 1969 shooting, it was later revealed by LA detectives that they believed the LAPD SIS Unit helped coordinate the killing of Bunchy Carter & John Huggins with the help of Karenga and the FBI.
To summarize, Kwanzaa was a direct response to the unification of ALL American people encouraged by the Panthers. Karenga was an FBI agent who was involved, on multiple occasions, in the destruction of the Black Panthers.
Sources: book called “Spying on America”

There are also interviews with Judge Joe Brown, Bruce A Dixon who was a Panther and multiple other news articles.
Also to be clear, I totally missed a beat when I wrote “creation” of Kwanzaa. We know Kwanzaa does not originate in America but it totally slipped past me typing that, my apologies.

When I said creation, I meant the Americanized version.
Because people are not seeing the bigger picture https://twitter.com/coachwilmore_/status/1321988863858978819
I slipped up in two places within the thread I was notified.

Huggins & Carter were killed in 1968 not 1969.

To also clarify, the conflict that occurred before the shooting was over the Black Studies Department at UCLA.
You can follow @CoachWilmore_.
Tip: mention @twtextapp on a Twitter thread with the keyword “unroll” to get a link to it.

Latest Threads Unrolled:

By continuing to use the site, you are consenting to the use of cookies as explained in our Cookie Policy to improve your experience.