The contributions of the Black Panther Party will be celebrated in Oakland throughout the month of February as part of Black History Month.
Among the highlights will be a street naming initiative on February 17th spearheaded by Fredrika Newton, Black Panther alumna and life partner of co-founder Dr. Huey P. Newton. The commemorative name change of 9th Street to “Dr. Huey P. Newton Way” stretches a three-block section in West Oakland; its midpoint marks the location where he took his last breath.
Mark your calendars:
February 11th – At 5:30 p.m., Community Ready Corps Allies and Accomplices will host “Save the Hampton House.” The virtual fundraising event supports the purchase and restoration of the childhood home of slain Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton Sr. The event will feature conversations with Black leaders, including Fredrika Newton, Mother Comrade Akua Njeri, Council Member Fife, and Chairman Fred Hampton Jr. Tickets are available on EventBrite
February 14th – Jilchristina Vest to unveil mural honoring “The Women of the Black Panther Party” and the #Sayhernamemovement. The mural commemorates the initiatives the Black Panther Party took to provide resources to their communities through the over 60 Survival Programs the Party created. Visit the mural between Center Street and Chester starting February 14th.
February 16th – Starting at 5:30 p.m., in celebration of Huey’s birthday, light projections featuring images of Huey and the Black Panther Party will be on display at the Alameda County Courthouse where the Free Huey Movement took place.
February 17th – At 9:00 a.m., Fredrika Newton will join community members, including clergy, elected officials, and neighbors to unveil the newly designated “Dr. Huey P Newton Way,” a three-block stretch of 9th Street near Mandela Pkwy.
February 19th – A free drive-in movie event – “Judas and the Black Messiah” – will take place at Liberation Park in Oakland at 5:00 p.m. In honor of Black History Month, the Dr. Huey P Newton Foundation and the Black Cultural Zone have partnered with Judas and the Black Messiah impact campaign to screen Shaka King’s groundbreaking film, starring Daniel Kaluuya as the inspiring Chicago Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton, opposite LaKeith Stanfield and Dominique Fishback, that tells the story of the organized effort by the FBI to silence Hampton in 1969. The film, in theaters and on HBO Max on February 12, was produced by Oakland native Ryan Coogler, Charles D. King and Shaka King. The event is sponsored by East Oakland Collective, Ground + Soul, San Francisco Film Festival and Black Terminus AR. Find the sign-up on The Foundation’s Instagram @hueypnewtonfoundation + @blackculturalzone.
February 24th – The Foundation will participate with five professional sports franchises from the Bay Area in a first-ever joint initiative to celebrate Black History Month. “The Black Panther Party Celebration of Activism” program will feature Black Panther Party alum, athletes from Bay Area professional sports teams and local Bay Area artists and activists. The groundbreaking event will showcase a discussion of the origins and outcomes of Black Panther Party-led activism told through the lens of the “Black Panther Party 10 Point Platform and Program; What We Want, What We Believe”. The virtual program will be available online at 12:00 p.m. via Facebook Live, Instagram and YouTube.
Later in 2021, the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation will be unveiling a bronze bust of Huey, which will be placed on the newly named Dr. Huey P. Newton Way at Mandela Parkway. Internationally renowned sculptor Dana King is creating the bust.