Charles "Poppy" Sharp was an activist whose claim to fame was going from a troubled youth in and out of jails to the leader of a militant racial group to a political figure in Camden, NJ. On the night of August 30, 1967, he heard a speech given by H. Rap Brown in Camden, NJ and felt as if the message was for him specifically. When he was at a local bar after the speech, he actually gave an impromptu speech of his own to everyone there. His words were so moving, the organization, Black Believers of Knowledge, was formed right there on the spot. By the time Sharp started implementing his thoughts into actions, he had met with Walter Palmer, who had his own militant organization in Philadelphia, and changed his org name from Black Believers of Knowledge to Black People's Unity Movement. BPUM was dedicated to bettering the Black community, or colony as Sharp called it, with special regards to the political scene, economic status, and social self-determination. [1]
- ^ Gillette, JR, Howard (2005). Camden After The Fall:Decline and Renewal in a Post-Industrial City. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 77–78.