Courtroom sketch of Black Panthers Bobby Seale , George W. Sams, Jr. , Warren Kimbro , and Ericka Huggins , during the 1970 New Haven Black Panther trials . This is an alphabetical referenced list of members of the Black Panther Party , including those notable for being Panthers as well as former Panthers who became notable for other reasons. This list does not include outside supporters, sympathizers, or allies.
Mumia Abu-Jamal , Lieutenant Minister of Information, Philadelphia chapter. In prison for the murder of a police officer.[1]
Sundiata Acoli , Finance Minister of the Harlem chapter who served 49 years in prison for murdering a New Jersey state trooper, and was released in 2022.[2] [3]
Ashanti Alston , anarchist activist.[4]
Richard Aoki , Field Marshal[5] and FBI informant.[6] Committed suicide in 2009.
Kuwasi Balagoon , former member Harlem chapter and one of the Panther 21 .
Charles Barron former member Harlem chapter, community activist and Democratic New York City Councilmember [7]
Lucille Berrien , political activist from Milwaukee.[8]
Dhoruba bin Wahad , New York activist and one of the Panther 21 .
Veronza Bowers, Jr. , serving life in prison for murdering a park ranger.[9]
William Lee Brent , hijacked a plane to Cuba in 1968, lived in exile there until his death in 2006[10]
Elaine Brown , Chairwoman, Minister of Defense (mid 1970s), for a time was a 2008 Green Party Presidential candidate.[11] [12]
H. Rap Brown , Former SNCC leader, Justice Minister, currently serving life sentence for murder.[13]
Safiya Bukhari , member of Harlem chapter.
Ed Bullins , Minister of Culture in San Francisco, and renowned playwright.[14]
Stokely Carmichael , Former SNCC leader and Honorary Prime Minister. He lived in exile in Africa from 1969 until his death in 1998.[15]
Bunchy Carter , Deputy Minister of Defense, Southern California chapter, killed in 1969.[16]
Mark Clark , Defense Captain, Illinois chapter, killed by police in 1969.[17]
Eldridge Cleaver , Minister of Information[18] Died in 1998.
Kathleen Neal Cleaver , Party spokesperson and law school professor.[12]
Paul Coates , defense captain of the Baltimore chapter.
Mark Comfort , community activist
Marshall "Eddie" Conway , Minister of Defense of the Baltimore chapter. Served 44 years in prison for the murder of a police officer, until his conviction was overturned.[19]
Donald L. Cox , Field Marshall of the party. Died in exile in France in 2011.[20]
Aaron Dixon , community activist, former captain of the Seattle chapter of the Party. Ran with the Green Party for U.S. Senate on his opposition to the Iraq War [21]
Emory Douglas , Party artist and cartoonist[22]
B. Kwaku Duren , coordinator of the Southern California chapter from 1976 to 1981[23]
Barbara Easley-Cox , wife of Donald L. Cox .
Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin , anarchist activist.
Glen Ford , journalist[24]
Kent Ford , co founder of Portland chapter.[25]
Reggie Forte , member of Oakland chapter.
Larry Gossett , member of Seattle chapter.
Stanley Greene , photojournalist.
Bashir Hameed , deputy chairman of Jersey City chapter.
Fred Hampton , Deputy Chairman, Illinois chapter; killed in a 1969 raid by the Chicago police and the FBI.[17]
Tim Hayes , founder of Atlanta chapter, writer and community activist.[26]
David Hilliard , chief of staff, university lecturer and party archivist.[27]
Raymond Hewitt , civil rights activist.[28]
Elbert Howard , founding member of the party and first editor of its newspaper, The Black Panther .[29]
Ericka Huggins , longtime party leader, professor of sociology.[12]
John Huggins Los Angeles chapter leader. Killed in 1969.[16]
Bobby Hutton , first party recruit, treasurer; killed by police in 1968.[30]
George Jackson , author and prison activist. Killed in prison in 1971.
Jamal Joseph , film professor, author and Oscar nominee.[31]
Judy Juanita , Author who served as editor of The Black Panther [32]
Magora Kennedy , LGBT activist.[33]
Chaka Khan , former member of the Chicago chapter, and singer who has won ten Grammy awards.[34]
Warren Kimbro , convicted in the murder of Alex Rackley, prisoner rehabilitation activist; died in 2009.[35]
Robert Hillary King , author, lecturer and former member of the Angola Prison Chapter[36]
Art Lassiter , musician.
Joan Tarika Lewis , graphic artist and first woman to join the party.[37]
Connie Matthews , International Coordinator of the BPP.
Lonnie McLucas , Bridgeport, Connecticut member convicted in the murder of Alex Rackley.[38]
Huey P. Newton , Minister of Defense, co-founder. Killed in 1989.[39]
Kojo Nnamdi , radio host who was a member from 1968 to 1969 in Brooklyn .[40] [41]
Jalil Muntaqim , former political prisoner
Salim Muwakkil , journalist.
Kiilu Nyasha, journalist.
Sekou Odinga , activist
Charlotte Hill O'Neal , community organizer
Pete O'Neal , Chairman, Kansas City chapter, who lives in exile in Tanzania.[42]
William O'Neal , FBI informant.
Pat Parker , poet.
Larry Pinkney , served nine years in prison in Canada and the U.S., and was also a member of the Republic of New Africa .[43]
Geronimo Pratt , Deputy Minister of Defense, died in 2011.[44]
Alex Rackley , New York member murdered by fellow Panthers in 1969. His killing resulted in the New Haven Black Panther trials .[35]
Malik Rahim , early New Orleans chapter organizer, currently a co-founder of Common Ground Collective , a post Hurricane Katrina relief organization.[45]
Nile Rodgers , guitarist for rock/disco band Chic and music producer.[46]
Bobby Rush , Minister of Defense, Illinois Chapter, and since 1993, U.S. Representative for Illinois's 1st congressional district .[17]
George W. Sams, Jr. , convicted in the 1969 murder of Alex Rackley. He testified for the prosecution.[35]
Reggie Schell , Defense Captain, Philadelphia chapter.[47]
Bobby Seale , Chairman and co-founder of the Black Panthers.[48]
Afeni Shakur , one of the New York 21 and mother of Tupac Shakur .
Assata Shakur , political activist
Russell Maroon Shoatz , seved 49 years in prison for the murder of a Philadelphia police officer.[49]
Marion Stamps , member of Chicago chapter.
Michael Tabor , New York activist and one of the Panther 21 .[50]
Robert Trivers , evolutionary biologist.[51]
Denise Oliver-Vélez , professor, Contributing Editor for Daily Kos , and former activist and community organizer[52]
John Watson , Detroit chapter leader and activist with the League of Revolutionary Black Workers .[53]
Michael Zinzun , activist