Huey Newton, Black Panther Minister of Defense, a poster by the Black Panther Party made in Emeryville, Alameda County, California (1968)
Huey Newton, Black Panther Minister of Defense, a poster by the Black Panther Party made in Emeryville, Alameda County, California (1968)
Huey P. Newton (1942–1989) was an African-American revolutionary and political activist who co-founded the Black Panther Party in 1966. He ran the party as its first leader and crafted its ten-point manifesto with Bobby Seale. Under Newton's leadership, the party organized numerous social programs and community events, but also advocated for collective defense and threatened political violence. This poster was made for the Black Panther Party in Emeryville, California, in 1968, and features a large portrait photograph, taken by Blair Stapp, depicting Newton seated in a peacock chair and wearing a beret and a black leather jacket. He holds a shotgun in his right hand and a spear in his left hand. Two leaf-shaped Zulu-style shields lean against the wall behind him. Underneath the photograph is a quotation from Newton as "Minister of Defence": "The racist dog policemen must withdraw immediately from our communities, cease their wanton murder and brutality and torture of black people, or face the wrath of the armed people."
Photographer: Blair Stapp