Huey P. Newton

Huey P. Newton was a revolutionary organizer and co-founder of the Black Panther Party, formed in 1966 in Oakland, California. The Panthers emerged in response to police brutality, unequal treatment under the law, and the everyday realities Black communities faced — not just as isolated incidents, but as a system. Newton’s leadership helped shape the Party’s mission around self-determination, political education, and community protection.

Newton was also a political thinker who believed real power came from organization and discipline. While the Panthers are often reduced to images of protest, their work included structured programs designed to meet immediate needs — including free breakfast initiatives, health clinics, and community education. Newton pushed the idea that survival and liberation were connected: if people couldn’t eat, learn, or feel safe, they couldn’t fully fight for freedom.

His legacy is complex and important. Newton represents a chapter of Black history centered on community control, strategic resistance, and the belief that justice isn’t asked for — it’s built, protected, and demanded.