Merritt College
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
Related e |
Featured: |
Merritt College is a public community college in Oakland, California. Merritt, like the other three campuses of the Peralta Community College District, is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The school's enrollment is approximately 6,000 students.
Merritt Community College was the meeting place for prominent leaders of the Black Panther Party, Bobby Seale and Huey Newton. The two met in September 1962 and shortly after began organizing the Black Panther Party. There were many public displays of unrest on the campus during this time, speaking to the Cuban blockade, the black experience, and other political topics. The two leaders also attended many politically charged classes at the school such as experimental sociology, Black History and Negro History. This occurred in September 1966 and started as Huey and Bobby brainstorming a ten-point platform. As the two grew closer, they first became involved in local organizations in Oakland only to eventually create their own.
See also