THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY IS FOUNDED

1966

The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was founded by Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton to challenge police brutality against Black Americans–notably, the assissination of Malcom X and the fatal police shooting of Matthew Johnson, an unarmed Black teen, in San Francisco.

Though they are often associated with their armed citizen patrols, the Black Panthers instituted numerous community programs, such as free breakfast programs for students and health clinics. Members of the party also supported other marginalized groups in their fight for equity and justice.

The Black Panthers became a target of the FBI after being declared a communist organization and enemy of the United States. The FBI led violent raids, worked to dismantle community programs created by the Black Panthers, and exploited rivalries within the organization. The party was officially dissolved in 1982, and the FBI later apologized for wrongful uses of power in its actions against them.

EXPLORE

WEBSITES

THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY: CHALLENGING POLICE AND PROMOTING SOCIAL CHANGE

THE MOST IMPORTANT LEGACY OF THE BLACK PANTHERS