The Black Panther Party Logo became one of the enduring icons of the 20th century, a symbol of black power, beauty and resistance. The logo served as a main component to the Black Panther iconography: “The Panther logo, the raised fist, the black beret, the mask, and spear were all used as signifiers to establish and communicate the myth.”(Duncan, 121) This ‘myth,’ being the Black Panther folklore: their ‘underdog’ story of seizing and flaunting power in a racist American society that intended to tear them apart at all costs. The design of the logo in turn represents the ideals of the party, “The image of a crouching black panther was selected because of the animal’s propensity to strike only when provoked, echoing the stated mission and title of the original Oakland party as the Black Panther Party for Self Defense.” (Duncan, 126) 

 

The design was appropriated by the Oakland Black Panther Party from the logo of Lowndes County Freedom Organization in Alabama, also called the Black Panther Party. The Lowndes County Freedom Organization was founded by Stokely Carmicheal, better known for his contributions as a member of the SNCC. In 1966, Carmichael would ask Dorothy Zellner to create a design for their organization and despite her initial reservations, she would be the first to author the infamous panther illustration, incorporating much conscientious detail. Zellner’s husband would describe her creative process: “Dottie produced the first rough drawing of the now famous Black Panther. Dottie drew it so it would reproduce well in black and white—a panther with curled tail, bared teeth, and pronounced whiskers, ears perked up.” (Cushing) This rough draft of the panther would be merged with an outline of a panther from a HBCU Collegiate designed by Ruth Howard and these two women would collaborate to produce the initial design of the Black Panther Party logo. This design, originally used for the Alabama Black Panther Party not affiliated with the main Black Panther Party in Oakland would then be adopted by Oakland’s BPP after Newton “read a pamphlet about voter registration in [Alabama], how the people in Lowndes County had armed themselves against Establishment violence.” (Bloom, 44) He saw the strength of the logo and decided to form a chapter of the Black Panther Party. By doing so, Newton recognized Carmicheal as a respected member of the Black Power movement, bridging the Black Panther Party and the SNCC closer together.

 

The symbol of the panther continued to be stylized, adapted and developed over time with a smoother version being made by Lisa Lyons, making small changes to the illustrated panther’s physical appearance so it would appear on cans, buttons and comics. 

 

These three women were responsible for creating one of the most powerful and recognizable icons, one will forever stand for black empowerment and decolonization. The women's contributions additionally reflected the Black Panther Party’s feminist outlook, providing equal opportunity for women to lead, involve and contribute to the party, anomalous the sexist nature of most American organizations at the time. This symbol was not just used all throughout the United States, but used to empower people all over the world with chapters of the party emerging internationally, such as Mizrahi Jew’s Isreali Black Panther Party. 

 

Ty Lei and Walker Bankson