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July 21, 2005
Burn Baby Burn - It's Finger-Licking Good!
The Huey P. Newton Foundation, named after the late founding member of the Black Panthers, announced this week it will market a new "Burn Baby Burn" hot sauce to raise money for the not-for-profit group's literacy programs.
Man. This seems so wrong on so many levels. "It was a catchy phrase, and I thought it would be reminiscent of the '60s," said Fredrika Newton, Huey's widow, on Tuesday. "I sure didn't want it to be a call to burn anything other than our taste buds." Coined by Los Angeles R&B disc jockey Magnificent Montague, who often said "burn baby burn" when playing a hot track, the adage was seared into the American lexicon during the 1965 Watts riots, when crowds turned the DJ's motto into a rallying cry as they set neighborhood businesses ablaze.
On the other hand, if co-opting revolution will raise money for educational purposes, I suppose they should totally exploit that. Lord knows plenty of revolution has been co-opted for less benevolent purposes. I just hope this doesn't inspire any profiteers to make "Black Panther" malt liquor or anything.
And for that matter, I must admit that since, coincidentally I happen to be flying to Oakland tonight, I'm totally gonna try to see if the foundation is already selling the sauce locally.
Check out the foundation's trademark application here. I find it curious that they filed the mark for use in "sauces, excluding apple sauce and cranberry sauce." While I agree it is unlikely they would choose to make apple or cranberry sauce, such disclaimers are usually reserved for a situation wherein another party is already using the trademark for the same goods -- and I'd venture to guess that no one else is using the brand for apple or cranberry sauce.
Two other parties are, however, also using or planning to use "Burn Baby Burn" as a brand name.
Pascal Communications uses the brand for its CD and DVD burning services, while New York designer Norma Kamali apparently plans to use the brand for a women's clothing line.
Kamali's trademark application is interesting because it was filed eight months before the Newton Foundation's. This means that if the foundation ever decides to make t-shirts or hats of their new hot sauce brand, it could end up having to license the name (for use on clothing anyway) from Kamali. Kamali, having prior rights could conceivably even block the foundation from using the name on clothes altogether.
Wow. How amazing would that be if, 40 years after the Watts riots, a New York fashion designer forced former Black Panthers to cease and desist from selling "burn baby burn" clothing? A truly American story.
Read this San Francisco Chronicle article to get the full story the Newton Foundation's new hot sauce brand. (However, please note that, while the headline reads "barbecue sauce," the body of the story, and every other one I've seen, says it is hot sauce).
Posted by MJuhre at July 21, 2005 11:05 AM
Comments
From the offline peanut gallery:
Nice one...so does this mark the beginning of the sanitization of the Black Power movement? Makes sense, I guess all the other radial events of the sixties have long since been repackaged as fashion statements.
Posted by: CF Agent 348 at July 21, 2005 01:16 PM
More from the offline peanut gallery:
I have to admit it would be pretty cool to see "Black Panther" malt liquor. I mean, why not finish it all off once and for all.
Posted by: CF Agent 382 at July 21, 2005 01:17 PM