Free Huey Portrait

High contrast front-facing portrait of Huey Newton with black text above

Huey Percy Newton (1942-1989) was an African American political activist who co-founded the Black Panther Party along with Bobby Seale in 1966. The core mission of the group was to organize the African American community to prevent police abuse and racial discrimination. In 1967, Newton was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the death of a police officer, resulting in 2-15 years in prison. His trial and imprisonment sparked protests which adopted the slogan “Free Huey”. In 1970, the conviction was overturned when it became clear that Newton had acted in self-defense. The image depicted is of Newton wearing a military beret and a shotgun on his side. He is attributed as one of the most important black civil rights leaders in American history.