The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution

Oakland, 1966: with almost a third of the overall population being African-American and only 16 black police officers, the city was a breeding ground for rampant racism. No one knew this oppressive regime better than Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, and they took action by founding the Black Panther Party. Inaugurating the onyx-colored cat as their official symbol, the Panthers took their name from the mammal’s predatory instincts: a panther only strikes when provoked. The media spun a different narrative of the party, ignoring the Free Breakfast for Children program, the free health clinics, and dozens of other social programs. They only had one image of the panthers: militant men with guns. This is legendary documentarian Stanley Nelson’s authentic image of the Panthers: a community focused on grassroots organizing and the preservation and cultivation of the black experience. With all eyes on the United States as it reels from current acts of police brutality, THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION is an essential primer for giving the power back to the people. – C.P.