The Black Panther Party was founded in Oakland in 1966 by a pair of young Merritt College students, Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton. Their revolutionary platform and social programs ended up having ripple effects across the nation and the world.
The Town is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the party’s founding with a series of events that kick off on Thursday, Oct. 15, and continue through Sunday, Oct. 18. The events are spearheaded by the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, co-founded by Fredricka Newton, Newton’s widow, and David Hilliard, the party’s former chief of staff, alongside It’s About Time BPP, founded by former party member Billy X Jennings, and a range of partners.
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The series includes free and ticketed events, including a gala featuring Panther veterans at the Scottish Rite Center on Saturday, Oct. 16. The celebrations wrap up on Sunday, Oct. 18, with a community event at DeFremery Park in West Oakland, also known as Lil’ Bobby Hutton Park, the site of multiple Black Panther protests and events in the 1960s and 1970s. The foundation is giving free access to 1,000 high school students to attend the conference’s workshops.
While the three-day conference schedule, for a $250 entrance fee, is jam-packed with sessions on reparations, Black liberation, and lessons on how to combat fascism, this roundup focuses on the celebration’s many free and affordable events.
Have an event you’d like to see included here? We do our best to stay on top of what’s happening in our community, but we love a tip. Send us a note at azucena@oaklandside.org. You can also use the self-submission form on our events page to add it to our calendar for free.
Honoring the Black Panther Party Rank & File Members exhibit
This exhibit at the Oakland Public Library’s main library was curated by historian and former Panther Billy Jennings. It includes photos, books, newspaper archives and other memorabilia that bring to life the stories of ordinary members of the party. These Black Panthers were in charge of running programs that served the community and were on the front lines fighting against racism and police brutality. The exhibit includes a special screening of the short video “Lord of the Revolution,” with a panel discussion afterward. The exhibit opened Oct. 5 and is on display through Saturday, Jan. 9.
Special event with screening, Thursday, Oct. 15, 5 p.m., free, Oakland History Center, 125 14th St., 2nd floor
Oaktown Thursdays: 60th anniversary night market
This last party of the season that runs from June to October will include an opening ceremony honoring Black Panther Party members with performances by Oakland hip-hop artist Okey McFly, Black queer artist The Vixen, Vallejo’s La Russell and other artists.
Thursday, Oct. 15, 5 to 9 p.m., free, Latham Square, Telegraph Avenue between 17th Street and Broadway
Serving barbecue at a Free Huey Rally in De Fremery Park, Oakland, July 14, 1968. Credit: Ruth-Marion Baruch, Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Friday Nights at OMCA with MacArthur Maze
The garden party at the Oakland Museum of California is wrapping up for the year with a program celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Black Panther Party, bringing together music, film and storytelling. Expect performances in the garden by East Bay Hip-Hop ensemble MacArthur Maze and special guests hip-hop artists Loove Moore and DJ Kream. Oakland native DJ BlackWoman will also spin a set at the museum’s amphitheater.
Friday, Oct. 16, 5 to 9 p.m., free, Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak St.
Pop-up art gallery at Akoma Oakland
Trapxart, the Black Panther Party Museum and Akoma Oakland are teaming up with this pop-up exhibit by highlighting local Black artists. Plus a celebration with soul food bites.
Saturday, Oct. 17 8 to 11 p.m., free, Akoma Oakland, 1727 Telegraph Ave.
Community Day
Black Panther Party veterans will be at DeFremery Park to tell stories of their time with the party. The community gathering will include speakers, food vendors and other activities.
Sunday, Oct. 18, 12 to 4 p.m., free, DeFremery Park, 1651 Adeline St.
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