After the legitimacy of individuals claiming to be members of a Black Panther Party for Self Defense chapter in Philadelphia was called into question following their headline-making appearance at a recent anti-ICE protest, the group is now offering proof of who they say they are.
Paul Birdsong, chairman of the local chapter, announced in an Instagram video that the group plans to meet with the public on Saturday, Jan. 31, at noon at 2123 North Gratz Street in Philadelphia. The gathering is intended for anyone who wants to learn more about the group and the “real” and “original” elders who he claims are guiding them.
“I’d like to invite everyone out … to meet with myself and the reputable, notable Black Panther Party elders, original Black Panthers from the 60s,” Birdsong said in the video uploaded to Instagram, flanked by members dressed in black. “They will be there to sit down with us, talk with us, and learn with us and grow with us.”
He added that the event would also serve as an opportunity “to authenticate us,” and to show the public “who we are getting tutelage, lessons, guidance, understanding and truth from.”
“I invite everyone who has any questions pertaining to our authenticity or our validity to come,” he continued. “There will be plenty of food, plenty of refreshments. There will be a peaceful time, and there will be notable, original Black Panther Party elders there for you to talk to, ask questions, and get to know.”
The address Birdsong provided — 2123 North Gratz Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19121 — also appears to be associated with the Madeira Family Center, according to Yelp and various GPS platforms.
The video, posted with limited comments enabled, arrives just days after a woman claiming to be Huey P. Newton’s niece, Myesha Newton, publicly denounced Birdsong and his chapter after footage surfaced of the group patrolling the anti-ICE demonstration in the City of Brotherly Love.
“My name is Myesha Newton,” she said in a video posted online. “My father’s name was Walter Newton. He was the brother of Huey Percy Newton, who started the Black Panther Party in Oakland, California. I got birth certificate paperwork and a whole bunch of Newtons … listen, this goes out to the Black Panther Party, the New United Black Panther Party, whoever’s out there protesting with these Somalians, I’m about to get a cease and desist order against you, and I’m about to sue you. You are not going to defame my uncle’s name like that. We’re not doing that. See you in court, b—.”
Her video prompted someone claiming to be Newton’s biological son, Rico Dukes, to come forward and vouch for the Philly group.
“I had been watching him for a few months, and then I finally called him to give him my blessings and standing how the Panthers stood in 1966,” Dukes said in a Facebook video shared on Jan. 18th. “It’s many elders from the 1966 Panther Party that vouch for his chapter.”
Whether the late political activist had any biological children remains a mystery.
In his latest post, Birdsong also directly addressed those connected to the original Black Panther Party who have voiced concerns.
“I want to thank everybody who has been diligent and vigilant to protect the Black Panther Party legacy,” he said. “I commend you guys. I commend you guys protecting the legacy. I commend you guys standing up for the legacy. And I’m actually grateful that you are.”
Birdsong framed the public meeting as the best way to evaluate his chapter.
“I think the best way to protect the legacy, going forward, pertaining to us, is to come to the event,” he said. “Bring whoever else you want to the event.”
He went on to extend a personal invitation to Newton.
“Huey Newton’s niece, I’m cordially inviting you to the event,” he said. “Fred Hampton Jr., I’m cordially inviting you to the event. General Mike Payne, I’m cordially inviting you to the event, where you will be met with peace and revolutionary love.”
He closed by restating the location and declaring, “All power to the people.”
In the meantime, his chapter has continued its various community outreach throughout Philly and even in neighboring cities such as Baltimore.
Shortly after footage from the protest began circulating online, Birdsong addressed what he said were misconceptions and misinformation forming about the group and its politics.
“The Black Panther Party is not a Black nationalist organization,” he said. “The New Black Panther Party might be. I’m not sure. The Revolutionary Black Panther Party might be. Any of these variations of Black Panther parties might be. But the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense — the one Huey Newton started with Bobby Seale — is an internationalist organization that stands as allies with oppressed people, no matter what their ethnic background is, no matter what their cultural background is.”
