Black Liberation Army

Black Liberation Army
Leaders
Dates of operation1970–1981
Split fromBlack Panther Party
Active regionsUnited States
IdeologyMarxism-Leninism[1]
Black nationalism
Political positionFar-left
Part ofBlack Power Movement
Battles and wars

The Black Liberation Army (BLA) was an underground Marxist-Leninist, black-nationalist militant organization that operated in the United States from 1970 to 1981. Composed of former Black Panthers (BPP)[2] and Republic of New Afrika (RNA) members who served above ground before going underground, the organization's program was one of war against the United States government, and its stated goal was to "take up arms for the liberation and self-determination of black people in the United States." The BLA carried out a series of bombings, killings of police officers and drug dealers, robberies (which participants termed "expropriations"), and prison breaks.[3]

  1. ^ "BLACK LIBERATION ARMY AND THE PROGRAM OF ARMED STRUGGLE" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  2. ^ "Black Liberation Army Papers (1963-1998)". Archived from the original on 2023-01-20. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
  3. ^ Cleaver, Kathleen; Katsiaficas, George (2014). Liberation, Imagination and the Black Panther Party: A New Look at the Black Panthers and Their Legacy. Routledge. p. 12. ISBN 9781135298326.