Black Panther Party Museum hosts new exhibition in downtown Oakland

The Black Panther Party was widely known in its time for its free breakfast program and newspaper, but many of the group’s other 65 community survival programs have been historically overlooked.

So in honor of Black History Month and the 30th anniversary of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, several former party members came to tell their stories at the opening of the Black Panther Party Museum’s “Survival Pending Revolution: The Black Panther Party Service to the People Programs” exhibition last week in downtown Oakland.

Fredrika Newton, widow of Dr. Huey P. Newton, artist Gayle “Asali” Dickson, chief physician Tolbert Small and Billy X Jennings, a personal aide to Dr. Newton and David Hilliard, were on hand to educate the public about the Panther’s community work.

Hilliard and Fredrika Newton created the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation in 1995. Dr. Newton, 47, was shot and killed by a drug dealer in West Oakland in 1989.

One of the most meaningful and emotional moments of the evening for Fredrika Newton was striking up a conversation with student Nivia Charles, 27, of San Leandro.

“I spoke to a young woman with sickle cell anemia who said that if it wasn’t for the Black Panther Party, she wouldn’t be alive today,” said Newton during her brief speech. “That’s what this is all about — serving the people, body and soul.”

Fredrika Newton, former party member and wife of Dr. Huey P. Newton, speaks during the Black Panther Party Museum’s “Survival Pending Revolution: The Black Panther Party Service to the People Program” exhibit opening on Broadway in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. The exhibit highlights the party’s 65 “community survival” programs which chapters across the country launched during the 1960’s and 1970’s. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Believing that health care is a basic human right, Dr. Newton and Bobby Seale founded the Sickle Cell Anemia Research Foundation in 1971, one of the party’s 65 programs they implemented to provide such essentials as free food, education and transportation.

Charles, who was born with sickle cell anemia, became an activist to help others with the disease. She’s attending Howard University in Washington, D.C., graduating in 2026 with a bachelor’s degree in community development. The Panthers have inspired her for years, she said, and she was thrilled to meet Newton in person.

“It was extremely touching and made me misty-eyed, but it was also extremely empowering to share my story. It was a great reminder that we are all a part of this fabric towards change,” Charles said.

She said that it was very poignant for the exhibition to be about community programs in a time where people’s rights, protections and resources are being broken down.

“The Black Panthers have always been such an integral part of our community. They were the vanguard of the revolution and they continue to inspire us today,” Charles said.

Sickle cell anemia advocate and warrior Nivia Charles, of San Leandro, talks with other attendees during the Black Panther Party Museum’s “Survival Pending Revolution: The Black Panther Party Service to the People Program” exhibit opening on Broadway in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. The exhibit highlights the party’s 65 “community survival” programs which chapters across the country launched during the 1960’s and 1970’s. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

The Black Panther Party was founded in Oakland in 1966 and lasted until 1982, including many national and international chapters.

Through a blend of historical artifacts, photographs, newspapers and video, visitors to the museum can learn how the Panthers fed children, set up health clinics, opened schools and offered other important resources to underserved communities.

Billy X Jennings was a party member from 1968-1974, when he was a student at Laney College, and is an archivist who helped curate the exhibition.

“This exhibit brings out the facts and brings out a light on something that’s been in the dark for a long time,” Jennings said. “We’re trying to set the example for young people coming up to let them know that there were people before them trying to correct what was going on.”

Museum co-founder Dr. Xavier Buck said he wanted to make sure at least 10 former Panthers had the opportunity to tell their stories, and had a voice in their own narratives.

“The Black Panther Party’s survival programs were a beacon of hope and resilience in a time of great inequality and unrest,” said Dr. Buck. “Through this exhibit, we aim to honor their legacy and show how their vision for justice and community empowerment remains deeply relevant today.”

Former Black Panther artist Gayle Asali Dickson, left center, talks with former Black Panther lead physician Tolbert Small, right center, during the Black Panther Party Museum’s “Survival Pending Revolution: The Black Panther Party Service to the People Program” exhibit opening on Broadway in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. The exhibit highlights the party’s 65 “community survival” programs which chapters across the country launched during the 1960’s and 1970’s. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

“Black history is American history,” said Gayle Asali Dickson, former Panther artist. “You need that history so you know what to build off of for the future.”

Hazel Green, a public health researcher, writer and doctoral student, moved to Oakland a few years ago from North Carolina. She chose the city because of its history of activism.

“When I had the opportunity to move to the West Coast, I had to move to Oakland. I needed this history,” Green said. “The update to the museum is timely because of the cuts to recent programs — people want to know about grassroots community programs.”

Marla Williams traveled from Vallejo with her twins John and Mia, 11, who’ve been learning Black history in school and recognized a lot of the Black Panther’s names.

Marla Williams and her twins John and Mia, 11, of Vallejo, listen to speakers during the Black Panther Party Museum’s “Survival Pending Revolution: The Black Panther Party Service to the People Program” exhibit opening on Broadway in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. The exhibit highlights the party’s 65 “community survival” programs which chapters across the country launched during the 1960’s and 1970’s. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

“It’s a great place for healing and learning, it’s amazing. The fact that we’ve done so much, just reminds me of how much we can do,” Williams said.

Fredrika Newton remarked on the hundreds of people in attendance on opening night and felt there was a hunger to learn Black Panther Party history.

“I think my history after the Black Panther Party is actually much more meaningful to me, to have created this foundation that still flourishes and I can share with my grandchildren,” Newton said. “We hope to stay here and serve the people body and soul as long as I’m on this planet.”

The Black Panther Party Museum was established in January 2024 by the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation. Now in its 30th year of operation, the foundation continues its work by commissioning public art, creating educational tools and exhibitions, interpreting historic sites and maintaining the largest archival collection on the Black Panther Party worldwide.

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Fredrika Newton, center, former party member and wife of Dr. Huey P. Newton, talks with Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation board member and Black Joy Parade founder Elisha Greenwell, right, and others during the Black Panther Party Museum’s “Survival Pending Revolution: The Black Panther Party Service to the People Program” exhibit opening on Broadway in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. The exhibit highlights the party’s 65 “community survival” programs which chapters across the country launched during the 1960’s and 1970’s. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

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