How did the Black Panther Party start?
The Black Panther Party was founded in Oakland, California in 1966 by two local black activists, Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. Their original purpose was to promote self-defense against police brutality, but their political scope quickly expanded, as did their membership. The Panthers grew into a national organization with several chapters and thousands of members by the late 1960s.Huey NewtonIn October of 1966, Huey Newton was a student activist at Merritt College in Oakland. After the recent assassination of Malcom X and the urban riots in Watts and Detroit, he was inspired to gather a few close friends and start what was originally called the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. Newton and friend Bobby Seale tossed a coin to determine their roles in the new organization; Newton became Minister of Defense.Bobby SealeBobby Seale became the first Chairman of the Black Panthers via that same coin toss. Seale was an Oakland native who met Newton via the Afro-American Association, a stude
