Black Panther Party Sites of Resistance

Written and created by Gabriella and Sue

Members of Seattle chapter of the Black Panther Party in room with microphones, 1968. MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Photograph Collection, 1986.5.50982.1

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The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was founded in 1966 in Oakland, CA by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. In the spring of 1968 the Seattle chapter, the first outside of California, was co-founded by Aaron Dixon and his brother Elmer. Like other branches, the Seattle chapter opened health clinics, ran a free breakfast program for children, and protected citizens from police harassment. While active, the Black Panthers were targeted by the FBI (1). This included tactics such as killing party leaders, smear campaigns, and arresting members on trumped up charges. Though the Seattle chapter only lasted 10 years, it created lots of change. Here in Seattle we have one of the last medical clinics started by the Panthers. Across the nation, schools provide free and reduced price breakfast to students, a practice first initiated by the Panthers (2). Though the Panthers no longer operate in an official capacity, their legacy and goals live on.

Explore this interactive map of places and spaces in Seattle tied to the history of the Black Panther Party. 

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Footnotes​

1. Givens, Linda H. “Black Panther Party Seattle Chapter (1968-1978).” Black Panther Party Seattle Chapter (1968-1978), October 16, 2018. https://www.historylink.org/File/20648. 
2. University of Washington. “Seattle Black Panther Party: History and Memory Project .” Seattle Black Panther Party: History and memory project - Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project. Accessed June 15, 2022. https://depts.washington.edu/civilr/BPP.htm.  
3. “Headquarters and Breakfast Centers: Seattle Black Panther Party.” Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project. Accessed June 16, 2022. https://depts.washington.edu/civilr/BPP_offices.htm.
4. Givens, Linda H. “Black Panther Party Seattle Chapter (1968-1978).” Black Panther Party Seattle Chapter (1968-1978), October 16, 2018. https://www.historylink.org/File/20648.
5. University of Washington. “Map of Headquarters and Breakfast Centers.” Map of headquarters and Breakfast Centers - Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History project. Accessed June 15, 2022. https://depts.washington.edu/civilr/BPP_map.htm. 
6. Zhong, Michelle. “Carolyn Downs Family Medical Center (1968- ), January 19, 2021. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/carolyn-downs-family-medical-center-1968/. 
7. Franklin High School sit-in defendants speaking with the press at King County jail, April 1968. MOHAI, Cary W. Tolman Photographs, 2002.68.9.10
8. Gilbert, Tika. “The Franklin High School Sit-in - Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project.” in, 2008. https://depts.washington.edu/civilr/BSU_FranklinHS.htm. 
9. Mike Tagawa leading OSU demonstration, Seattle, February 9, 1969. MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Photograph Collection, 2000.107.171.18.01
10. The 1971 Sit-In: A 17 Minute Recollection of the OSU's Direct Action Campaign to Get Seattle Central Community College to Hire an Asian Administrator. The Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project. University of Washington, 2004. http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/sugiyama.htm. 
11. “Oriental Student Union Sit-In.” Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project. Accessed June 15, 2022. https://depts.washington.edu/civilr/aa_osu.htm. 
12. Larry Gossett leading students at BSU UW protest, May 20, 1968, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, MOHAI, 1986.5.16852.15
13. Robinson, Marc. “The Early History of the UW Black Student Union.” Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project. Accessed June 14, 2022. https://depts.washington.edu/civilr/BSU_beginnings.htm. ​
14. Peterson, Jackie. "Central District: Seattle's Hub for Black Creativity and Community" HistoryLink.tours. Accessed August 18, 2022. https://historylink.tours/tour/central-district.