On this day, Oct. 15, 1966, the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was co-founded in Oakland, California, by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. What began as two young Black men tired of police brutality and systemic racism quickly evolved into one of the most influential  political movements in American history.

Originally named the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, the organization was unapologetic about protecting Black communities. Newton and Seale believed Black people had the right to monitor police behavior and defend themselves against state violence. Members legally carried firearms and followed police during traffic stops to ensure accountability. 

The Black Panther Party’s mission extended far beyond armed patrols.They were political, intellectual, and community-focused. They launched more than 60 community survival programs, including free breakfast for children, health clinics, food pantries, transportation services for seniors, housing assistance, sickle cell anemia testing, and liberation schools. These programs fed tens of thousands of people every day and inspired future government initiatives.

The Panthers promoted Black self-determination, anti-capitalism, and the idea that equality might require confrontation. They introduced a Ten-Point Program demanding employment, housing, education, an end to police brutality, and full control of Black communities. 

The Black Panthers also faced intense backlash. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover labeled them “the greatest threat to the internal security of the country.” The government launched COINTELPRO, a covert operation to infiltrate, criminalize, sabotage, and destroy the party from the inside. Leaders were arrested on questionable charges, organizers were surveilled, and several Panthers were killed in police raids. Internal divisions and government pressure weakened the party through the 1970s.

By the early 1980s, the Black Panther Party had largely dissolved. Chapters closed, resources dried up, and leadership fractured. However, their influence never vanished. The Panthers changed how Black liberation was discussed.

Huey P. Newton, the party’s Minister of Defense and chief theorist, struggled with legal issues and internal conflict in later years. He was killed in Oakland on August 22, 1989, at the age of 47. At 88 years old, Bobby Seale is still with us today.

The Black Panther Party officially ended decades ago, but its impact lives on in modern activism, community programs, and conversations about justice. They forced America to look in the mirror and many of the rights and protections we fight for today exist because the Panthers fought first.

Clay Cane is a New York Times bestselling writer and the author of the upcoming Burn Down Master’s House: A Novel, which will be released Jan. 27. Pre-order here.