The Roundup: Black Panthers Had It Right — Feed All Kids

by Mike Davis

What's up, South End?

I hope y'all had a good week. I want to start today's newsletter with a little bit of Seattle history.

In 1969, the Black Panther Party launched the Free Breakfast for School Children Program. It first launched in Oakland, but as I'm sure y'all know, the Black Panthers also had a presence here in Seattle. In fact, the first chapter of the Black Panther Party outside of California set up shop in the Central District.

A little-known fact about the free breakfast program in Seattle is that it also served white and Asian children. A well-known fact, and perhaps why the legacy of this program is so revered, is that the Black Panthers stepping up to feed kids in urban neighborhoods is what pressured the U.S. government to start feeding schoolchildren nationwide.