Great Collection of Emory Douglas’ Revolutionary Art For The Black Panthers

Emory Douglas art

Graphic designer Emory Douglas is best known for his inspirational and historically important revolutionary artwork created as the Minister of Culture for The Black Panthers from 1967-1980.

Emory Douglas Revolutionary Art For The Black Panthers

Emory Douglas Revolutionary Art
On the Bones of the Oppressors, poster work on paper, 1969

Inspiring the fight for freedom and liberation, his poster and editorial art have been recognized across the globe with several awards for their fearless and powerful use of graphic design and Black Power aesthetic.

emory douglas black panther art
We Are Soldiers…, poster work on paper, 1969
emory douglas revolutionary art
One of our main purposes is to unify our brothers and sisters…, poster work on paper, 1969

It was in 1967 that Douglas met Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale —founders of the then newly formed Black Panther Party— during a meeting at Eldridge Cleaver’s apartment in Oakland. The impetus for the founding of the party, originally dubbed the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was the assassination of black nationalist Malcolm X and the San Francisco Police killing of an unarmed black teen named Matthew Johnson. The Black Panthers’ early activities primarily involved monitoring police activities in black communities in Oakland and other cities.

Afro-American Solidarity with the Oppressed People of the World
Afro-American Solidarity with the Oppressed People of the World, poster work on paper, 1969
Emory Douglas In Revolution One Wins, or One Dies
In Revolution One Wins, or One Dies, poster work on paper, 1969

One look at Douglas’ work and the party wanted his vision and skills for its official newspaper – and he was keen to join them. He became the Black Panther Party’s visual voice for the struggle against racism, oppression, and social injustice. Responsible for developing the activist group’s brand, he created heavily-militant propaganda campaign art for the party’s newspaper in hopes to attract new members. Several of the pieces quoted Marxist and Communist ideologies. The newspaper quickly became one of the most popular black newspapers with circulation eventually reaching the 200,000s.

emory douglas poster design
We Are Advocates of the Abolition of War, poster work on paper, 1968
Free Huey Douglas Emory
Free Huey, poster work on paper, 1969

Because of the limited tools at his disposal, Emory used two-color offset printing for the newspaper (which cost 25 cents at the time) and posters. Douglas’ guerrilla graphics emboldened the Black Community and made it possible for many to consider defiance as an alternative to victimization.

Revolution In Our Lifetime emory douglas
Revolution In Our Lifetime, poster work on paper, 1970
The Lumpen Emory Douglas
The Lumpen, poster work on paper, 1970
Emory Douglas Black Panthers artwork
Freedom Is a Constant Struggle, poster work on paper, 1971

As the revolutionary artist and Minister of Culture for the Black Panthers from 1967 to the early 1980s, Douglas and his fellow party members were targeted with acts of sabotage by the FBI. According to a congressional report, those acts included spraying production equipment with synthetic fecal scents, ransacking offices, and destroying shipments of newspapers that featured Douglas’ controversial graphics.

activist art
Untitled, poster work on paper, Late 20th Early 21st Century
emory douglas black panthers
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! All Power To The People Hallelujah!, poster work on paper, 1971
Aretha Franklin emory douglas poster
Amen! The Storm Is Passing Over! The People’s Salvation Is Going to Come! 1971 with Aretha Franklin

Luckily for all of us, the Oakland Museum of Contemporary Art in California has an archive of Emory’s work and many of which are not the ones widely circulated on the web.

activist posters
untitled (man with automatic rifle and Che Guevara quote), poster work on paper, 1968
Why Must Black People Look At Each Other Through Prison Bars poster
Why Must Black People Look At Each Other Through Prison Bars?, poster work on paper, 1971
George Jackson Lives 1971 black panthers poster
George Jackson Lives!, poster work on paper, 1971
Class Brothers poster Hitler Nixon poster 1973
Class Brothers, likening President Nixon to Hitler, poster work on paper, 1973

A special thanks to The Oakland Museum of Contemporary Art for the images.