Harare Review of Books

208 pages.

First published in 2007.

Finished reading on 2 Feb 2021.

Genre: Non-fiction. Art history, maybe?

The Black Panther Party for Self Defense, formed in the aftermath of the assassination of Malcolm X in 1965, remains one of the most controversial movements of the 20th-century. Founded by the charismatic Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, the party sounded a defiant cry for an end to the institutionalized subjugation of African Americans. The Black Panther newspaper was founded to articulate the party’s message and artist Emory Douglas became the paper’s art director and later the party’s Minister of Culture. Douglas’s artistic talents and experience proved a powerful combination: his striking collages of photographs and his own drawings combined to create some of the era’s most iconic images, like that of Newton with his signature beret and large gun set against a background of a blood-red star, which could be found blanketing neighborhoods during the 12 years the paper existed. This landmark book brings together a remarkable lineup of party insiders who detail the crafting of the party’s visual identity.

This was fantastic! Got completely immersed. I am interested in the Black Panther Party as a liberation movement from the 60s, and the parallels with African liberation movements. Seeing it all from the branding/art perspective was wonderful, and this is essentially a BPP history book. Also, the art of Emory Douglas was really pretty amazing, and he was a great communicator for the party. (He is very much alive, by the way.)

Rated: 10/10. Just brilliant.