History came alive recently in English teacher Jim Burger’s classroom. He invited students to hear the powerful story of former Black Panther Anzley Morrell straight from Morrell.
It was standing room only as Morrell, 57, who is the father of sophomore Claudia Morrell, told his audience about his role in the black liberation movement and his presence at the start of the historic Detroit riots. The race riots “started in Detroit, believe it or not,” said Morrell.
It was 1967 when he and his friends saw the crowd of blacks running with bricks and anger down 12th Street nd Gladstone in Detroit. His first instinct was to get home. He was 17 years old at the time. This was the first time he encountered racism, Morrell said.
These violent riots included the destruction of many businesses. Morrell recounted how black-owned businesses painted an “S” on the front of their stores, which stood for “soul brother.” This protected the businesses from being burned down and destroyed during the riots.
Sophomore Edward Gaines described Morrell’s talk as eye-opening and said, “This showed me how things could change (for black people).”
Morrell says he personally witnessed more racism during college when he attended Ferris State University and when he joined the Marine Corps.
While at the Marine Corps, where he received the nickname Brother Motown, he came in contact with the Black Panthers in Okinawa, Japan. He was a part of the Black Panthers from 1969-1972.
In the Black Panthers you had to “earn your badge”, which was a tattoo of a black panther. To earn this you had to show that you were out to earn the equality of “your own,” said Morrell. Stripes were added below the tattoo each time members did a courageous act against “the (white) man” in favor of black people.
Since the Black Panthers’ beginning in the ‘60s, its members have stuck by each other, Morrell said. Their message is strong because of the group’s backing: “If you hear a gun shot, you don’t know if it’s coming from your front or back. With the Black Panthers, you have someone to watch your front and back,” said Morrell.
The Black Panthers group still exists, says Morrell, though it is nowhere near as strong as it once was. That’s because racism isn’t as overt as it once was, Morrell said.