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Museum of Resistance and Resilience

Black Panther Party

The Black Panther Party, also known as the Black Panthers, was a political organization that challenged police brutality against the African American community and was founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in 1966 (History.com Editors, 2019). The Black Panthers also put an emphasis on civil rights and Black Pride. As pictured above, the Black Panthers dressed in black berets, black leather jackets, black shoes, and black pants.

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1. Black Panther Party The Black Panther Party, also known as the Black Panthers, was a political organization that challenged police brutality against the African American community and was founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in 1966 (History.com Editors, 2019). The Black Panthers also put an emphasis on civil rights and Black Pride. As pictured above, the Black Panthers dressed in black berets, black leather jackets, black shoes, and black pants.
Contents of this annotation:
1. Black Panther Party The Black Panther Party, also known as the Black Panthers, was a political organization that challenged police brutality against the African American community and was founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in 1966 (History.com Editors, 2019). The Black Panthers also put an emphasis on civil rights and Black Pride. As pictured above, the Black Panthers dressed in black berets, black leather jackets, black shoes, and black pants.

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Beret – Black Panther Party
The beret is an iconic symbol of the Black Panther Party: it represents strength, unity, and resistance. According to Fashion Statement or Political Statement: The Use of Fashion to Express Black Pride during the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements of the 1960's by Mary Vargas (2009), the author states that the founders of the Black Panther Party "decided that the black beret would be an essential part of the ensemble after watching a movie about the French resistance to the Nazis during WWII...they felt that it was a strong symbol of militancy" (p. 96). The uniform even made some Black "youth feel confident, strong and brave" (p. 97).

The Black Panther Party's uniform not only represents solidarity, but it also communicates a protest (for people of all ages) – a fight against the institutions and systems put in place, and the demand for civil rights. The beret, especially, became an iconic symbol of Black power, a political ideology that emphasizes "self-respect and racial pride as well as the celebration of cultural accomplishments of Black people around the world" (Smithsonian Museum).

The beret is a political symbol and a powerful item of resistance – its effects can even be seen in the 21st century. During the 2016 Super Bowl, Beyonce and her backup dancers wore berets and black leather outfits to give a tribute to past and current Black activism (King, 2016). She even dropped a surprise single and music video to make a statement about the police brutality against young Black men. The beret was (and still is) a strong political item – it's a power that has been continuously creating transformative change.