PROGRAMS & WHAT’S COMING
From free community programs to exhibitions and public education, the Center carries forward the Panthers’ tradition of survival programs — meeting real needs while building collective power.
CURRENT & UPCOMING PROGRAMS
POWER tO tHE PEOPLE — INAUGURAL EXHIBITION
The Center’s first major exhibition traces the Seattle chapter’s story — from Aaron and Elmer Dixon’s founding in 1968 to the survival programs that reshaped the city. Opening alongside the June 12 prelude activation.
PANTHER READING CIRCLE
Knowledge is power. The Seattle Black Panther Interpretive Center invites you to our Daily Panther Reading Circle, a dedicated space for "deep reading" the foundational texts that shaped our mission and the Ten Point Program. By reclaiming the academic rigor that defined the original Black Panther Party, we provide a communal space to combat literacy decline and foster intellectual empowerment.
Join us Friday through Sunday, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
COMMUNITY SURVIVAL PROGRAMS
Carrying forward the Panthers’ legacy of mutual aid — food distribution, free clothing, health resources, and youth support — organized with and for the community. Volunteer and partnership opportunities open now.
Above: Portrait of Garry Owens, September 1988, Courtesy MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Collection, 2000.107.136.40.01, photo by Kurt Smith
PRESS
New Activation Explores History, Legacy of Seattle Black Panther Party Ahead Of 2026 World Cup
By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Ahead of the June 12 opening of the Seattle Black Panther Party Interpretive Center, the Seattle Black Panther Party Legacy Group is inviting the public into “Prelude,” a community-centered activation designed to explore the history, legacy and enduring influence of Seattle’s Black Panther chapter.
Located on the first floor of the Metropole Building in Pioneer Square, Prelude offers visitors an opportunity to engage with the history and legacy of the Seattle chapter of the Black Panther Party before the interpretive center’s inaugural exhibition.
“Curators are given a lot of power about the point of view, about what information gets shared, what information is withheld, and what is important and what isn’t,” said Gia Hamilton, advising consultant for the Seattle Black Panther Party Interpretive Center. “And so I have had the pleasure of really helping them to think through the Prelude because it is really an opportunity to clarify the party, what it was and what it was not for the public before the wonderful World Cup comes to Seattle.”