February 10, 2023 – June 2, 2023
Briscoe Center for American History, Austin, Texas
Weatherby Gallery
Comrade Sisters: Women of the Black Panther Party, a new exhibit at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin, pays tribute to the women of the Black Panther Party through the photos of Stephen Shames.
The exhibit features images of the women who led the Panthers’ protests and more than sixty social programs. As activist and one-time Panther member Angela Davis says, “women were literally the heart of this new political approach to Black freedom.” Presented to mark the publication of the new book Comrade Sisters by Ericka Huggins and Shames, this exhibit draws from rarely seen photos of the Black Panthers from the Stephen Shames Photographic Archive at the Briscoe Center.
The Black Panther Party for Self Defense was founded in 1966 in Oakland, California, by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. The Panther platform outlined demands for civil rights, including the right to food and housing and the explicit right to self-defense against racist attacks. Through chapters across the United States and worldwide, the Panthers developed service programs that clothed, educated, and fed their communities while creating a lasting influence that continues to resonate within present-day social justice movements. Exhibition admission is free.
