Oakland celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Black Panther Party on Saturday by renaming a portion of a downtown street crucial to the political activist group’s history.
Community leaders, including Mayor Barbara Lee, commemorated the renaming of Broadway between 14th and 17th streets as Black Panther Party Boulevard, a designation unanimously approved by the Oakland City Council this month. The revolutionary group had distributed newspapers, registered voters and organized political rallies along the strip after its founding in October 1966.
Plaques will be installed along Broadway at 14th, 15th and 17th streets to commemorate the group, originally formed as a neighborhood patrol to monitor police interactions with Black communities.
Two other Oakland strips have already been renamed to honor the Panthers’ co-founders: Dr. Huey P. Newton Way, a three-block section of Ninth Street designated in 2021, and Bobby Seale Way, the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Way and 57th Street, which was renamed last October.
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee attends the dedication ceremony for Black Panther Party Boulevard on Saturday. (Darrion Webb/Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation)
The Black Panther Party was active in Oakland for 16 years, starting with community organizer Seale and ex-con turned law student Newton releasing a Ten-Point Program outlining demands for achieving justice, equality and self-determination. For the remainder of the 1960s and through the ’70s, the Panthers created community programs and health clinics in the face of FBI surveillance and internal conflicts.
The party dissolved in 1982 as its influence declined, and Newton served a six-month prison sentence after pleading no contest to stealing state aid intended for a community school. Newton, 47, was shot to death on an Oakland street by a gang member in 1989, allegedly over a drug deal.
Seale, who turns 90 on Oct. 22, lives in Oakland and remains active in civic life. Oakland officially declared the date Bobby Seale Day last year, and the Black Panthers have been highlighting his contributions since their 60th anniversary celebration began Thursday.
Black Panther veterans, educators, artists and community members have been examining the party’s history, impact and continued relevance with panels, workshops, films and exhibitions. The anniversary gala concludes Sunday with a free community day at Lil’ Bobby Hutton Park featuring speakers, entertainment and food.
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This article originally published at Oakland marks Black Panther Party’s 60th anniversary by dedicating downtown strip.