Elaine Brown’s leadership of the Black Panther Party and her continued efforts in building affordable housing and community businesses in West Oakland reflect a full circle moment and serve as a powerful inspiration for Black Lives Matter to advance the fight for Black liberation and self-determination.
Black Lives Matter is proud to recognize a full circle moment for a living legend, Elaine Brown. In 1974, Elaine made history as the first and only woman to lead the Black Panther Party. Under her leadership in the 1970s, the Black Panther Party significantly expanded its community programs, including free breakfast programs for children and health clinics, laying the foundation for community activism.
A cornerstone of the Black Panther Party’s Ten-Point Program was the demand for decent housing:
“We Want Decent Housing Fit For The Shelter of Human Beings. We believe that if the White Landlords will not give decent housing to our Black community, then the housing and the land should be made into cooperatives so that our community, with government aid, can build and make decent housing for its people.”
Tired of waiting for the government to answer this call, Sister Brown took matters into her own hands. For the past decade, she has been at the forefront of a revitalization project for the Black community of West Oakland, California, through her non-profit, Oakland and the World Enterprises. This project, a 100% affordable housing community, is a game changer. It is called The Black Panther, a name that honors her revolutionary roots and inspires consciousness and action.
The Black Panther housing project stands as a testament to the belief that everyone deserves a place to live. This initiative draws a direct line to the 10-point manifesto of the Black Panther Party, written in 1966 by Huey Newton and co-founder Bobby Seale. In tandem with this housing project, at the same site on 7th and Campbell Streets, she is launching five cooperatively owned businesses by formerly incarcerated and other socioeconomically marginalized individuals: a fitness center, a tech business center, an urban farm, a neighborhood market, and a restaurant. The primary goal is not only to develop economic survival pathways but also to create a model for building Black community wealth and self-determination.
Sister Brown’s commitment to the struggle for Black liberation remains unwavering, as the oppressed conditions of Black people have persisted since she joined the Party in 1968. Black communities still face the highest poverty, homelessness, incarceration, and cancer death rates. To paraphrase Dr. King, Black people today have “half of what is good and double of what is bad.”
For too long, capitalism and white supremacy have emphasized a system of punishment and erasure, criminalizing poor people, the unhoused, those suffering from hunger, and individuals struggling with mental health and substance abuse. The Black Panther Building challenges this narrative by demonstrating how leaders can create conditions for Black people to thrive, not just survive.
the land for the black panther
On October 28, 1967, Huey Newton, co-founder of the Black Panther Party, was involved in a scuffle with police on Seventh Street in West Oakland, resulting in his arrest and subsequent trial. This incident sparked the “Free Huey” protests, transforming the Panthers into a nationwide Black power organization demanding an end to police brutality, housing equality, employment, and economic revolution.
Fifty-six years later, on the very same spot where the shootout occurred, a new Black Panther is emerging. Where blood once stained the sidewalk, shiny steel and tinted glass now dominate the block as an $80 million business and affordable housing project nears completion. This project, marking a full circle, embodies the legacy of the Black Panther Party.
Earlier this year, BLM proudly presented Elaine Brown with $1 million to fund the Black Panther building in West Oakland and the Black-owned businesses that will make it thrive. We couldn’t be more proud to partner with Sister Brown and continue the fight for Black liberation and self-determination.
Passing the Baton
Elaine Brown’s journey is a powerful reminder of the enduring spirit of the Black Panther Party. Her work serves as a blessing and a call to action for Black Lives Matter to continue building up our Black communities. We are dedicated to pushing for economic revolution, social justice, and the liberation of all Black people. Together, we will keep the legacy alive and ensure that the fight for our rights and dignity carries on with renewed vigor and unwavering resolve.