This is an alphabetical referenced list of members of the Black Panther Party, including those notable for being Panthers as well as former Panthers who became notable for other reasons. This list does not include outside supporters, sympathizers, or allies. *

Mumia Abu-Jamal Mumia Abu-Jamal (born Wesley Cook; April 24, 1954) is an American political activist and journalist who was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in 1982 for the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. While on death ...

, Lieutenant Minister of Information,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

chapter. In prison for the murder of a police officer. *

Sundiata Acoli Sundiata Acoli (born January 14, 1937,"Who is Sundiata Acoli?"
SundiataAcoli.org. as Clark Edward Squire) is an ...

, Finance Minister of the Harlem chapter who served 49 years in prison for murdering a New Jersey state trooper, and was released in 2022. *

Ashanti Alston Ashanti Omowali Alston (born 1954) is an anarchist activist, speaker, writer, and former member of the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army. From 1974 to 1985, he spent time in prison for bank robbery, which caused him to become furthe ...

, anarchist activist. *

Richard Aoki Richard Masato Aoki ( or ; November 20, 1938 – March 15, 2009) was an American educator and college counselor, best known as a civil rights activist and early member of the Black Panther Party. He joined the early Black Panther Party and was ...

, Field Marshal and FBI informant. Committed suicide in 2009. * Kuwasi Balagoon, former member Harlem chapter and one of the

Panther 21 The Panther 21 is a group of twenty-one Black Panther members who were arrested and accused of planned coordinated bombing and long-range rifle attacks on two police stations and an education office in New York City in 1969, who were all acquitte ...

. * Charles Barron former member Harlem chapter, community activist and Democratic New York City CouncilmemberAllah, Dasun
Black Panther Charles Barron Invades New York City Council
''Hip Hop Wired'', 11 March 2010 * Lucille Berrien, political activist from Milwaukee. * Dhoruba bin Wahad, New York activist and one of the

. * Veronza Bowers, Jr., serving life in prison for murdering a park ranger. * William Lee Brent, hijacked a plane to Cuba in 1968, lived in exile there until his death in 2006 *

Elaine Brown Elaine Brown (born March 2, 1943) is an American prison activist, writer, singer, and former Black Panther Party chairwoman who is based in Oakland, California.Wheaton, Sarah (December 12, 2010)"Inmates in Georgia Prisons Use Contraband Phones ...

, Chairwoman, Minister of Defense (mid 1970s), for a time was a 2008 Green Party Presidential candidate. * H. Rap Brown, Former

SNCC The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC, often pronounced ) was the principal channel of student commitment in the United States to the civil rights movement during the 1960s. Emerging in 1960 from the student-led sit-ins at segreg ...

leader, Justice Minister, currently serving life sentence for murder. *

Safiya Bukhari Safiya Bukhari (born Bernice Jones; 1950 – August 24, 2003) was an American member of the Black Panther Party. She was also the co-founder of the Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC), the Jericho Movement for U.S. Political Prisoners and Prison ...

, member of Harlem chapter. *

Ed Bullins Edward Artie Bullins (July 2, 1935November 13, 2021), sometimes publishing as Kingsley B. Bass Jr, was an American playwright. He won awards including the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award and several Obie Awards. Bullins was associated with ...

, Minister of Culture in San Francisco, and renowned playwright. *

Stokely Carmichael Kwame Ture (; born Stokely Standiford Churchill Carmichael; June 29, 1941November 15, 1998) was a prominent organizer in the civil rights movement in the United States and the global pan-African movement. Born in Trinidad, he grew up in the Unite ...

, Former SNCC leader and Honorary Prime Minister. He lived in exile in Africa from 1969 until his death in 1998.Kaufman, Michael T
"Stokely Carmichael, Rights Leader Who Coined 'Black Power,' Dies at 57"
''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', 16 November 1998. Accessed 27 March 2008
(alternate url)
/ref> * Bunchy Carter, Deputy Minister of Defense, Southern California chapter, killed in 1969.Gordon, Larry
UCLA students memorialize 1969 Black Panther slayings
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'', 26 May 2010 * Mark Clark, Defense Captain,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

chapter, killed by police in 1969. *

Eldridge Cleaver Leroy Eldridge Cleaver (August 31, 1935 – May 1, 1998) was an American writer and political activist who became an early leader of the Black Panther Party. In 1968, Cleaver wrote '' Soul on Ice'', a collection of essays that, at the time of i ...

, Minister of Information Died in 1998. * Kathleen Neal Cleaver, Party spokesperson and law school professor. * Paul Coates, defense captain of the Baltimore chapter. *

Mark Comfort Mark Everett Comfort (February 6, 1934 – November 6, 1976) was a community activist who worked in early Oakland grassroots civil rights movements in the 1960s, before moving to Lowndes County, Alabama. He helped in the Student Nonviolent Coor ...

, community activist * Marshall "Eddie" Conway, Minister of Defense of the Baltimore chapter. Served 44 years in prison for the murder of a police officer, until his conviction was overturned. * Donald L. Cox, Field Marshall of the party. Died in exile in France in 2011. * Aaron Dixon, community activist, former captain of the

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

chapter of the Party. Ran with the

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...

for

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on his opposition to the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror , image ...

Emory Douglas Emory Douglas (born May 24, 1943) is an American graphic artist. He was a member of the Black Panther Party from 1967 until the Party disbanded in the 1980s. As a r''evolutionary artist'' and the ''Minister of Culture'' for the Black Panther Pa ...

, Party artist and cartoonist * B. Kwaku Duren, coordinator of the Southern California chapter from 1976 to 1981 * Barbara Easley-Cox, wife of Donald L. Cox. *

Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin (born 1947) is an American writer, activist, and black anarchist. He is a former member of the Black Panther Party and Concerned Citizens for Justice. He was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and has lived in Memphis, Tenne ...

, anarchist activist. * Glen Ford, journalist * Kent Ford, co founder of Portland chapter. * Reggie Forte, member of Oakland chapter. * Larry Gossett, member of Seattle chapter. * Stanley Greene, photojournalist. * Bashir Hameed, deputy chairman of Jersey City chapter. *

Fred Hampton Fredrick Allen Hampton Sr. (August 30, 1948 – December 4, 1969) was an American activist. He came to prominence in Chicago as deputy chairman of the national Black Panther Party and chair of the Illinois chapter. As a progressive African Ame ...

, Deputy Chairman,

chapter; killed in a 1969 raid by the Chicago police and the FBI. * Tim Hayes, founder of Atlanta chapter, writer and community activist. *

David Hilliard David Hilliard (born May 15, 1942) is a former member of the Black Panther Party, having served as Chief of Staff. He became a visiting instructor at the University of New Mexico in 2006. He also is the founder of the Dr. Huey P. Newton foundatio ...

, chief of staff, university lecturer and party archivist. * Raymond Hewitt, civil rights activist. *

Elbert Howard Elbert Howard (January 5, 1938 – July 23, 2018), better known as Big Man, was an American civil rights activist and author who was one of the founding members of the Black Panther Party. Black Panther Howard spent several years in the Un ...

, founding member of the party and first editor of its newspaper, ''The Black Panther''. *

Ericka Huggins Ericka Huggins ( Jenkins; born January 5, 1948) is an American activist, writer, and educator. She is a former leading member of the political organization, Black Panther Party (BPP). She was married to fellow BPP member John Huggins in 1968. ...

, longtime party leader, professor of sociology. * John Huggins Los Angeles chapter leader. Killed in 1969. *

Bobby Hutton Robert James Hutton (April 21, 1950 – April 6, 1968), also known as "Lil' Bobby", was the treasurer and first recruit to join the Black Panther Party.

, first party recruit, treasurer; killed by police in 1968. * George Jackson, author and prison activist. Killed in prison in 1971. * Jamal Joseph, film professor, author and Oscar nominee.Moynihan, Colin
Oscar Nomination Caps Columbia Film Professor’s Long Journey
''

'', 21 February 2008 *

Judy Juanita Judy Juanita is an American poet, novelist and playwright. She is a Lecturer in the College Writing Programs at the University of California, Berkeley. She was formerly a writing teacher at Laney College. In 1968, while attending San Francisco St ...

, Author who served as editor of '' The Black Panther'' * Magora Kennedy, LGBT activist. * Chaka Khan, former member of the Chicago chapter, and singer who has won ten Grammy awards. * Warren Kimbro, convicted in the murder of Alex Rackley, prisoner rehabilitation activist; died in 2009. *

Robert Hillary King Robert Hillary King (born May 30, 1942), also known as Robert King Wilkerson, is an American known as one of the Angola Three, former prisoners who were held at Louisiana State Penitentiary in solitary confinement for decades after being convict ...

, author, lecturer and former member of the

Angola Prison The Louisiana State Penitentiary (known as Angola, and nicknamed the "Alcatraz of the South", "The Angola Plantation" and "The Farm"Sutton, Keith "Catfish".Out There: Angola angling. ''ESPN Outdoors''. May 31, 2006. Retrieved on August 25, 2010. ...

Chapter *

Art Lassiter Arthur Lassiter (January 27, 1928 – August 4, 1994) was an American singer, known for his work with Ike Turner. Early life Lassiter was born in 1928 in North Carolina. His parents were cotton sharecroppers, and Lassiter began singing after j ...

, musician. * Joan Tarika Lewis, graphic artist and first woman to join the party. *

Connie Matthews Constance Evadine Matthews (August 3, 1943 - 1993), better known as Connie Matthews, was an organizer, a part of the Black Panther Party between 1968 and 1971. A resident of Denmark, she helped co-ordinate the Black Panthers with left-wing politi ...

, International Coordinator of the BPP. * Lonnie McLucas, Bridgeport, Connecticut member convicted in the murder of Alex Rackley. *

Huey P. Newton Huey Percy Newton (February 17, 1942 – August 22, 1989) was an African-American revolutionary, notable as founder of the Black Panther Party. Newton crafted the Party's ten-point manifesto with Bobby Seale in 1966. Under Newton's leadershi ...

, Minister of Defense, co-founder. Killed in 1989. *

Kojo Nnamdi Rex Orville Montague Paul (born January 8, 1945), better known as Kojo Nnamdi ( ), is a Guyanese-born American radio journalist based in Washington, D. C. He is the host of ''The Kojo Nnamdi Show'' and ''The Politics Hour'' on WAMU, and hosted ...

, radio host who was a member from 1968 to 1969 in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. * Jalil Muntaqim, former political prisoner * Salim Muwakkil, journalist. * Kiilu Nyasha, journalist. *

Sekou Odinga Sekou Odinga (born June 17, 1944, as Nathanial Burns) is an American activist and convicted felon who was imprisoned for actions with the Black Liberation Army in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1965, Sekou joined the Organization of Afro-American Unity ...

, activist *

Charlotte Hill O'Neal Charlotte Hill O'Neal (born March 9, 1951) is co-director of the United African American Community Center, now called the United African Alliance Community Center (UAACC). The UAACC, a non-profit NGO, was founded in 1991 by O'Neal and her husban ...

, community organizer *

Pete O'Neal Felix Lindsey "Pete" O'Neal, Jr. (born 1940), is the former chairman of the Kansas City chapter of the Black Panther Party in the late 1960s. He led implementation of many free programs, such as providing free breakfast to children around the city ...

, Chairman, Kansas City chapter, who lives in exile in Tanzania. * William O'Neal, FBI informant. *

Pat Parker Pat Parker (born Patricia Cooks; January 20, 1944June 17, 1989) was an American poet and activist. Both her poetry and her activism drew from her experiences as an African-American lesbian feminist.Pat Parker. Contemporary Authors Online, Gale ...

, poet. * Larry Pinkney, served nine years in prison in Canada and the U.S., and was also a member of the

Republic of New Africa The Republic of New Afrika (RNA), founded in 1968 as the Republic of New Africa (RNA), is a black nationalist organization and black separatist movement in the United States popularized by black militant groups. The larger New Afrika movement ...

. *

Geronimo Pratt Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt (September 13, 1947 – June 2, 2011), also known as Geronimo Ji-Jaga and Geronimo Ji-Jaga Pratt, was a decorated military veteran and a high-ranking member of the Black Panther Party in the United States in the late 1960s an ...

, Deputy Minister of Defense, died in 2011. *

Alex Rackley Alex Rackley (June 2, 1949 – May 20, 1969) was an American activist who was a member of the New York chapter of the Black Panther Party (BPP) in the late-1960s. In May 1969, Rackley was suspected by other Panthers of being a police informant. He ...

, New York member murdered by fellow Panthers in 1969. His killing resulted in the

New Haven Black Panther trials In 1969-1971 there was a series of criminal prosecutions in New Haven, Connecticut, against various members and associates of the Black Panther Party. The charges ranged from criminal conspiracy to first-degree murder. All charges stemmed from t ...

. *

Malik Rahim Malik Rahim (born Donald Guyton in 1948) is an American housing and prison activist based since the late 1990s in the New Orleans area of Louisiana, where he grew up. In 2005 Rahim gained national publicity as a community organizer in New Orlean ...

, early New Orleans chapter organizer, currently a co-founder of Common Ground Collective, a post Hurricane Katrina relief organization. * Nile Rodgers, guitarist for rock/disco band

Chic Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Pronounced Chick. Etymology '' Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English diction ...

and music producer. *

Bobby Rush Bobby Lee Rush (born November 23, 1946) is an American politician, activist and pastor who served as the U.S. representative for for three decades. A civil rights activist during the 1960s, Rush co-founded the Illinois chapter of the Black Pant ...

, Minister of Defense, Illinois Chapter, and since 1993, U.S. Representative for

Illinois's 1st congressional district Illinois's first congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Illinois. Based in Cook County, the district includes much of the South Side of Chicago, and continues southwest to Joliet. From 2003 to early 2013 it ext ...

. * George W. Sams, Jr., convicted in the 1969 murder of Alex Rackley. He testified for the prosecution. *

Reggie Schell Richard Reginald Schell (July 6, 1941 – May 9, 2012), better known as Captain Reggie Schell, was a political activist who was a member of the Philadelphia chapter of the Black Panther Party The Black Panther Party (BPP), originally the Bl ...

, Defense Captain, Philadelphia chapter. *

Bobby Seale Robert George Seale (born October 22, 1936) is an American political activist and author. Seale is widely known for co-founding the Black Panther Party with fellow activist Huey P. Newton. Founded as the "Black Panther Party for Self-Defense", ...

, Chairman and co-founder of the Black Panthers. *

Afeni Shakur Afeni Shakur Davis (born Alice Faye Williams; January 10, 1947 – May 2, 2016) was an American political activist and member of the Black Panther Party. Shakur was the mother of rapper Tupac Shakur and the executor of his estate. She founded t ...

, one of the New York 21 and mother of

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

. *

Assata Shakur Assata Olugbala Shakur (born JoAnne Deborah Byron; July 16, 1947; also married name, JoAnne Chesimard) is an American political activist who was a member of the Black Liberation Army (BLA). In 1977, she was convicted in the first-degree murder ...

, political activist * Russell Maroon Shoatz, seved 49 years in prison for the murder of a Philadelphia police officer. *

Marion Stamps Marion Nzinga Stamps (born M. Marion Adams; May 28, 1945 – August 28, 1996) was an African-American community activist who fought for equal rights of public housing residents in the Cabrini-Green housing project on the Near-North Side of Chi ...

, member of Chicago chapter. *

Michael Tabor Michael Barry Tabor (born 28 October 1941) is a British businessman, bookmaker, gambler and owner of thoroughbred racehorses. Tabor regularly appears on the ''Sunday Times Rich List'' of the richest people in Britain. In 2012 his fortune w ...

, New York activist and one of the

. *

Robert Trivers Robert Ludlow "Bob" Trivers (; born February 19, 1943) is an American evolutionary biologist and sociobiologist. Trivers proposed the theories of reciprocal altruism (1971), parental investment (1972), facultative sex ratio determination (1973), ...

, evolutionary biologist. *

Denise Oliver-Vélez Denise Oliver-Velez (born August 1, 1947) is an American professor, contributing editor, activist and community organizer. Specifically, she is a contributing editor for the blog Daily Kos, and is a former adjunct professor of anthropology and w ...

, professor, Contributing Editor for

Daily Kos Daily Kos ( ) is a group blog and internet forum focused on the U.S. Democratic Party and liberal American politics. The site includes glossaries and other content. It is sometimes considered an example of " netroots" activism. Daily Kos was ...

, and former activist and community organizer * John Watson, Detroit chapter leader and activist with the League of Revolutionary Black Workers. * Michael Zinzun, activist

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:List of Former Members of the Black Panther Party