THE BLACK PANTHERS

“Rules of the Black Panther Party.”
The Black Panther, Vol. III, No. 27, October 25, 1969.

“Imperialists.”
The Black Panther, Vol. IV, Black Community News Service, Vol. 4, no. 16, March 21, 1970.

“Black Panther: Peace & Freedom.” bumper sticker.

One of the most famous organizations dedicated to Black activism and liberation in the United States was the Black Panther Party. Following the end of the traditional Civil Rights Movement in the mid-1960s, the Black Panther Party was founded by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, two students from Oakland, California. The two activists were fed up with the continual oppression of Black people, particularly at the hands of those who were supposed to be tasked with protecting American citizens, in spite of the legal rights secured during the Civil Rights era. In response, the two students founded the Black Panthers as a political organization with the aim of liberating and supporting Black people around the United States. For the Black Panthers, advocating for Black Power and the rights of Black people in the United States involved several key principles. They were well known for “policing the police,” one of their principal practices, in which they would monitor interactions between Black people and the police, while armed, to ensure the safety of their fellow Black Americans.

Another crucial element of the Black Panthers' organizing principles involved connections to liberation movements around the world, particularly those of people of color liberating themselves from colonial regimes in Asia and Africa. Altogether, the Black Panthers radically redefined race-based organizing in twentieth-century America, setting up new methods of advocacy in the United States while also acquiring fervent adversaries.