In 2016, the National Park Service, under the leadership of then-National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis, expanded its mission and priorities to include being the national agency to preserve and interpret American history. They do this through places such as the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, the Stonewall National Monument, and the Pullman National Historical Park.

In 1966, the Black Panther Party was founded in Oakland, California by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale as a means of uplifting Black and all oppressed peoples. The programs created by the Black Panther Party over their sixteen-year history have a lasting legacy today. Among their 65 Survival Programs, some of the most well-known were Free Breakfast for Schoolchildren, Free Medical Clinics & Ambulance Services, voter registration drives, and the Oakland Community School. They overlapped with the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements as they fought for both democracy and self-determination.

The dedication of the thousands of young men and women across the country, with chapters in 46 states, who volunteered to be a part of this movement speaks volumes. While we might hear pieces of their story in music, film, and public art, their story remains on the fringes and has yet to be embraced nationally.

The Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, along with many organizations and leaders, is stewarding the effort to change this now. With Jon Jarvis on our Advisory Council, joined by other leaders from different parts of the country and with different perspectives, we are moving this forward, hoping that President Joseph Biden will sign a proclamation to establish the Black Panther Party National Park in 2024.

Over the past few years, almost every municipality around the San Francisco Bay Area has signed a letter or proclamation of their own in support of the Park’s establishment. Local, regional, and national organizations have penned letters of support to President Biden for this park. There is no reason to bury this vital American story any longer.

In September 2023, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12) presented legislation (H.R. 5719) to the Congressional Natural Resources Committee that the park be established. While we do not expect Congress to pass such an Act, this is a necessary step for the park’s establishment through the Antiquities Act. Another vital step to establish the Park in this way is to have a partner state their willingness to transfer property to the national government. We are fortunate that also in September 2023 the City of Oakland sent a letter expressing its enthusiastic willingness to partner with the national government to National Park Service Director Sams.

What’s next?  We are awaiting a Reconnaissance Survey by the National Park Service, and the sharing of its (hoped for) findings that this Park is of historic significance and with an audience wanting to have the story told.