The Black Panther Party, one of the most riveting and dynamic revolutionary voices in recent American history, was invited to China ahead of President Nixon’s much vaunted visit of 1971. In the mid-sixties, Huey P. Newton was a co-founder with Bobby Seale of the Black Panther Party, then based in Oakland, California. He was influenced by the writings of Franz Fanon, Che Guevara and Mao Tse-tung. From Chairman Mao’s Little Red Book comes the quote: “[font=Helvetica]The people who have triumphed in their own revolution should help those still struggling for liberation. This is our internationalist duty”. [/font]
Huey Newton spent ten days in China, meeting with Premier Chou En-lai and Chiang Ch'ing, the wife of Chairman Mao Tse-tung. While there, he was offered political asylum since he was between trials in the U.S. at the time for the alleged murder of an Oakland police officer in 1967. The visit had significant historical and propaganda value because, even though some within the establishment considered it a terrorist organization, China was acknowledging the existence of the Black Panther Party as a valid revolutionary force in the United States, thereby recognizing not just the struggle against injustice, but also the noble and empowering work they were doing for the Black community and other oppressed minority groups.
Google Huey Newton in China for more info. The link below gets you a picture for starters.
http://www.itsabouttimebpp.com/international/returning_from_china.html
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