The Black Panther Party

The Black Panther Party, originally known as the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was founded by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in October of 1966 in Oakland, California. The Black Panther Party was an organization with revolutionary ideals and their ideology consisted of Black Nationalism, socialism, advancement of marginalized communities, and armed self-defense against police-brutality. The Party came about as part of the rise of the Black Power Movement and was starkly different in the approach of protest tactics from Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.1

black panthers standing in a line

Members of the Black Panthers line up at a rally at DeFremery Park in Oakland, Calif.

Origins & Overview

The origins and founding of the Black Panther Party.

Community Survival Programs

The necessary responses and measures to ensure the physical survival of marginalized communities.

Panthers serving child

Panthers serving children free breakfast, Sacred Heart Church, San Francisco

Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton Standing outside Black Panther Headquarters in Oakland, California.

Black Panther demonstration, Alameda Co. Court House, Oakland, Calif., during Huey Newton’s trial.

Explore the Gallery

A glimpse into the work of Black Panther Party.

1. National Archives. (2021, March 22). The Black Panther Party. Retrieved April 07, 2021, from https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/black-power/black-panthers#bpintro.