Oakland paints new picture of Black Panther Party

Описание: (23 Feb 2021) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4312363

FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover once called them "the greatest threat to the internal security of the country."
After a year of protests and calls for racial justice, a renewed appreciation for the Black Panther Party has emerged.
The political organization founded in Oakland, California, in 1966 and active into the 1980s, fought police brutality and advocated for Black empowerment while being labeled as enemies of the state by the U.S. government.
Now, a homeowner in Oakland whose house is located across the street from where Black Panther founder Huey P. Newton was murdered, offered up her house as a canvas for a mural paying homage to the women of the party in honor of Black History Month.
Homeowner Jilchristina Vest said she bought the house back in 2000 because she wanted to live in the historic district.
She said she came up with the idea of the mural after last year's George Floyd protests and the lack of protests she saw for Breonna Taylor, also killed by police.
She decided to focus on the women of the Black Panther Party, who she said, despite being the backbone of the movement, don't receive the same attention as the more famous male icons of the party.
Vest hired Bay Area Muralist Rachel Wolfe for the project who said she used iconic photographs of the Black Panthers as inspiration for her work.
Vest said the women represented on her home were instrumental in creating groundbreaking programs like free breakfasts for children and the opening of health clinics in underserved communities.
For decades the Black Panther Party also spoke out against police brutality, which is still being addressed today by the Black Lives Matter movement.
Hollywood is also helping to bring attention to the Black Panther Party, with the recent release of critically acclaimed films such as "Judas and the Black Messiah" and "The Trail of the Chicago 7."

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