BLACK FORUM REISSUES CARMICHAEL'S FREE HUEY

On the 55th anniversary of the creation of the Black Panther Party—which was co-founded by Huey P. Newton—Motown's Black Forum has reissued Free Huey, Stokely Carmichael's 1968 speech calling for the release of the imprisoned leader.

One of the most popular and influential figures in the Black Power movement, Carmichael (who later adopted the name Kwame Ture) delivered the speech in February 1968 at the Oakland Auditorium in Oakland, Calif.

Thousands had gathered to celebrate the birthday of Newton and call for his freedom. He was in a cell at a nearby courthouse, accused of the fatal shooting of a police officer. The event coincided with the BPP’s new partnership with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

Black Forum originally released Free Huey in 1970, the year Newton’s conviction was reversed. Listen to the landmark speech here.