Chairman Fred Hampton Was 21 Years Old…

By David Jordan Jr

 

“A lot of people think the Breakfast for Children program is charity. But what does it do? It takes the people from a stage to another stage. Any program that’s revolutionary is an advancing program. Revolution is change.” – Chairman Fred Hampton

“I Am A Revolutionary!” These words said by Chairman Fred Hampton at Northern Illinois University in November 1969 would essentially  stamp his legacy as a activist, world leader and an inspiration to each person that he touched in the physical form and in the words left behind after he was assassinated. Hampton was the Chairman of the Illinois Chapter of The Black Panther Party, which was founded in Oakland, California by Bobby Seale and Dr. Huey P. Newton. The Black Panther Party For Self Defense prioritized the safety of Black citizens in the Oakland area, as it related to police brutality and the use of brunt force by police. As Dr. Newton and Bobby Seale were highly educated and informed about the gun laws in the state of California, the knowledge and information held were applied in the daily patrolling of the neighborhoods which were heavily affected by police brutality and unnecessary police presence.

In the following years, the Black Panther Political Party would expand across the United States of America in addition to gaining support internationally from various global leaders. The Black Panthers would institute The Free Breakfast Program and community health clinics across the country to ensure that Black communities across the country had access to healthcare services.

The Black Panthers outlined their ideals and goals in “The Black Panther Party’s Ten-Point Program”

1. We want freedom. We want power to determine the destiny of our black community.: This point asserts the fundamental right of African Americans to self-determination and control over their own communities, challenging the systemic oppression imposed by external forces.
2. We want full employment for our people.: The demand for full employment addresses the economic inequality faced by African Americans, highlighting the need for access to meaningful work and financial stability.
3. We want an end to the robbery by the capitalists of our black and oppressed communities.: This point condemns the exploitation of black communities by capitalist interests and calls for economic justice and redistribution of wealth.
4. We want decent housing, fit for the shelter of human beings.: Access to safe and adequate housing is recognized as a basic human right, addressing the pervasive housing discrimination and segregation faced by African Americans.
5. We want education for our people that exposes the true nature of this decadent American society. We want education that teaches us our true history and our role in the present-day society.: The demand for education reform emphasizes the importance of empowering African Americans with knowledge of their history and the systemic injustices they face, challenging the whitewashing of American history.
6. We want all black men to be exempt from military service.: This point opposes the conscription of African American men into the military, highlighting the disproportionate burden of military service and the exploitation of black soldiers.
7. We want an immediate end to police brutality and murder of black people.: The demand for an end to police brutality addresses the pervasive violence and harassment experienced by African Americans at the hands of law enforcement, calling for accountability and reform within police departments.
8. We want freedom for all black men held in federal, state, county, and city prisons and jails.: This point highlights the issue of mass incarceration and the disproportionate imprisonment of African Americans, advocating for the release of political prisoners and fair treatment within the criminal justice system.
9. We want all black people when brought to trial to be tried in court by a jury of their peer group or people from their black communities, as defined by the Constitution of the United States.: This demand for jury trial by peers addresses the systemic bias and discrimination within the legal system, seeking fair and impartial treatment for African American defendants.
10. We want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice, and peace.: This comprehensive demand encapsulates the broader aspirations of the Black Panther Party, emphasizing the need for social, economic, and political equality for African Americans.

The expansion of the Black Panther Party to Chicago, Illinois, created the pathway and emergence for Fred Allen Hampton Sr., Chairman Fred Hampton was an honor student who graduated from Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois.

Hampton was a young man who understood the importance of the unification of people despite skin color; Hampton prioritized the importance of community, cohesion, freedom, and liberation for all people. As a member of the Black Panther Party and Chairman of the Illinois Chapter, Hampton always spoke about the importance of the party to America, Black people, White people, and all people. The sense of community and togetherness understood by Chairman Hampton spearheaded his leadership, inspiring people to seek righteousness and apply righteousness and justice in all aspects of their lives, as this would provide a common ground of fairness for all human beings.

Fred Hampton Was 21 Years Old

As a Black man, Chairman Hampton knew the importance of education, the value of self, the importance of protecting one’s self, and the impact his perspective had on the city of Chicago and people worldwide. The ability to communicate, facilitate, and implement change enabled Chairman Fred Hampton to create and leave a legacy that cemented one of his most notable quotes, “I am a revolutionary.” The fight amongst each other, whether it’s Black versus White, Asian versus Latin or Indian versus White negated to rectify any of the issues which present in the 1960s are still present in 2025; issues regarding of poverty, educational disparity and the inconsistency in healthcare in impoverished communities across the world. The impact and importance of education were points the Chairman Hampton reiterated throughout his dialogue with the Panthers and with the people. Hampton talked about how in order for a person to join and become a Black Panther, they went through a six-week educational process about the ideals and goals of the Black Panther Party before one could officially become a member. This fact ensured that all Black Panthers were equipped and fully capable of any leadership position within the party.

Chairman Fred Hampton Speaks On Unification Amongst The People

This all came from Chairman Hampton before he was assassinated at the young age of 21 years old. A man with so much intellect, understanding, and the innate ability to collect and gather people for the greater good of society was assassinated in the early morning of December 4th, 1969, during a police raid of his home. Ninety-nine shots were fired into his home as he and his pregnant fiancée Deborah Johnson slept. Fellow Panther Mark Clark, 22 years old, was also killed. Four other Black Panthers were shot during the raid but would eventually recover from their wounds. The infiltration and assassination of Chairman Fred Hampton was instituted by COINTELPRO (developed by the FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover), an illegal operation designed to discredit the Black Panther Party and to create negative publicity regarding the organization, jailing and murdering several members. COINTELPRO would use spies pretending to be friends of the Black Panther Party members to obtain information and in turn orchestrate arrests, raids, and false narratives to discredit the party and create hostility among the members with each other in the organization (i.e. Divide and Conquer).

You Can Kill A Revolutionary, But You Can’t Kill A Revolution

Chairman Fred Hampton took his last breath on earth December 4th 1969, but his legacy has lived on through the generations, most notably through his son Fred Hampton Jr. Fred Hampton Jr, the only child of Chairman Fred Hampton is the chairman and president of the Prisoners of Conscience Committee and the Black Panther Party Cubs (descendants of the members of the Black Panther Party). Chairman Fred Hampton said “You can kill a revolutionary, but you can’t kill a revolution.” Chairman Fred Hampton understood everything that came with a revolution, and he lived his life as a man that would do anything for his people, if it meant that his people would be in a better position in society that they were at that time. He did this all by the age of 21 years old. Be inspired by the life and legacy of Chairman Fred Hampton and be a living example of the good needed in this world.