Black Panther

[blak pan-ther]

noun

1. a member of a militant African American organization Black Panther party active in the 1960s and early 1970s, formed to work for the advancement of the rights of Black people, often by radical means.

Black Panther

noun

1. (in the US) a member of a militant Black political party founded in 1965 to end the political dominance of White people

Word History and Origins

Origin of Black Panther¹

First recorded in 1960–65; the party was founded in Oakland, California, by political activists Huey P. Newton (1942–89) and Bobby Seale (born 1936), who modeled it on the Lowndes County Freedom Organization, an activist group in Alabama that had adopted a black panther as its symbol

Example Sentences

“Chad taught all of us a great deal,” she said in a speech that came after words from “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” co-star Viola Davis and “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler.

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Jordan’s performance as complex antagonist Erik Killmonger in Coogler’s “Black Panther” drew widespread awards attention from critics groups, and the film’s cast won the SAG ensemble prize — Jordan’s highest acting honor to date.

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The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, which opposed police brutality and engaged in political and social programs in big cities, was founded that year too.

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The Black Panther star died aged 43 in August 2020, four years after being diagnosed with colon cancer.

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And, as if we could forget, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” arrives in a couple of months and charges King T’Challa’s mother, sister, lover, and trusted general – all women – with defending their nation.

Read more on Salon