Over half a century after the Black Panther Party formed during the height of the Civil Rights Era, a new exhibit at the California Museum is celebrating the lives and legacies of some of its members.

“Revolutionary Grain: Celebrating the Spirit of the Black Panthers in Portraits and Stories” is based on a book of the same name by photographer Susanna Lucia Lamaina. It features contemporary portraits of 42 former Black Panthers, and the stories of their activities after leaving the party. The exhibit also features artifacts from the organization’s history like newspapers, photographs and clothing.

The museum held a grand opening event Saturday, featuring discussions and presentations by multiple former Panthers along with local food, music and dancing. These connections linked the larger history and impact of the party to Sacramento — which saw its own chapter of the Black Panther Party emerge in Oak Park during the 1960s.

The humanity of the Panthers

Lamaina studied with former Black Panther and professor Angela Davis and photographer Pirkle Jones. In 1968, Jones and his wife Ruth-Marion Baruch photographed multiple Panther members, a project that became the book “The Vanguard.”

Lamaina described Jones’ approach as showing “their humanity, compassion and love for their people,” instead of stereotypical associations with guns or militancy. She added that studying under Jones, “solidified the fact that in some way, I was going to photograph the Panthers.”

Photographer Susanna Lucia Lamaina describes the process of collecting portraits and stories of former Black Panther members to create “Revolutionary Grain” June 14, 2025.Sarit Laschinsky/CapRadio

In 2016, the 50th anniversary of the Black Panther Party, Lamaina began contacting former Panthers to photograph them and record their stories. This turned into her book “Revolutionary Grain.”

Lamaina said her project was largely driven by two main questions; what do former Black Panthers look like now, and what have they been doing since their party days? “Their stories and their own words are linked to the portraits,” she said, “because this is the first time for many of the foot soldiers… that their voices would be heard.”

She said when staging her portraits of each former Panther, she wanted to engage them in their own world. “Most of the time I didn’t even ask questions about being in the party,” she said.

Lamaina recalled her experience photographing former Panther Elbert “Big Man” Howard. “I knew he was into jazz music and had a jazz radio program, and that’s what we talked about,” she said. “In that way, ‘Big Man’ was able to be present with me and the ethos of his personality came through.”  

Lamaina also talked about the media’s role in collective memory and shaping how history is remembered. She recalled that in the 1960s and 1970s most images of the Black Panthers focused on aspects like their black leather jackets and berets, rather than social programs like providing free breakfasts to schoolchildren or raising awareness about sickle cell anemia.

“Those photographs were just as widely circulated, but were not seen as much because of the media and what the media’s ideal of [portraying] the Black Panthers were,” she said.

“The historical photographs of the Black Panthers have taken their place in history. They will be viewed for time immemorial,” Lamaina concluded. “I hope that my photographs do the same thing and round out the visual story.”

‘Well overdue and well deserved’

Kimberly Marshall is the daughter of a Black Panther, “Field Marshal” Donald Cox, but her father’s portrait doesn’t hang in the gallery. An early leader of the Panthers, Cox died in France in 2011 after living in self-imposed exile since the 1970s.

Marshall said it was an “honor” to see the exhibit open at the California Museum, and that the experience gave her goosebumps.

“Some of them I’ve only read about, but I knew some of them,” Marshall said, pointing to a portrait of former Panthers Communications Secretary Kathleen Cleaver, who Marshall called “her heart.”

She said seeing the images brought back memories of riding her bike to the Black Panther office in San Francisco. “Daddy always said when you see the ‘eye in the sky’ [the helicopters], get all your friends and come down to the Panther office,” she said. 

Marshall said Black Panther advocacy was about helping people. She pointed to the party’s food, transportation and health programs — services that would later become commonplace. “There were so many programs that people are now trying to emulate,” she said. “[Imitation] is the best form of flattery, so it’s more heartwarming to see.”

Billy X Jennings, a former member of the East Oakland Black Panthers chapter now living in Sacramento, stands next to his portrait in the “Revolutionary Grain” exhibit at the California Museum June 14, 2025.Sarit Laschinsky/CapRadio

Billy X Jennings lives in Curtis Park, and was a member of the Black Panthers’ East Oakland chapter from 1968 to 1974. As a Panther, Jennings worked on the free school breakfast program, helped organize boycotts with the United Farm Workers, and even ran the campaign office for Black Panthers co-founder Bobby Seale’s 1973 run for Oakland mayor.

“The feedback you get from the people is tremendous… it’s a motivating force to keep you going,” he recalled. “When you walk down the street in the community, people give you love still to this day.”

Jennings called “Revolutionary Grain” and its memorialization of party members, “well overdue and well deserved.”

“These people dedicated their heart [and] soul to making the community a better place,” Jennings said. “Some people even went to jail, some people died. But the overall thing was to educate our people and bring them social consciousness so they can make their own decisions.”

He said the Black Panthers emphasized connections between people, such as by organizing the “Rainbow Coalition” —  a multicultural, ethnic and racial alliance to build solidarity and address social issues.

“They were examples of what people could do once in power,” he said. “We didn’t need the government to give us money, we didn’t need the foundation to give us money. We show people that they can organize amongst themselves with people power and get positive results.”

Opening amid “No Kings” protests

The opening of “Revolutionary Grain” coincided with the nationwide “No Kings” protests, a day of defiance against President Donald Trump’s policies and administration. Thousands of protesters descended on the state Capitol, just blocks from the California Museum.

Marshall said she was glad to see people taking the initiative and hitting the streets in protest, instead of waiting for others to start a movement. “I even thought that way… I said ‘let me work,’” she said. “If you don’t get out there, nothing will ever change.”

However, she also noted that even decades after the Black Panthers were persecuted by federal officials, advocacy and protest still face many of the same challenges. When asked about whether the responses to the protests have changed Marshall said, “doesn’t look like it with the National Guard out there.”

Jennings said the “No Kings” rallies were, in a way, a continuation of the Black Panthers’ revolutionary movement. “The struggle for liberation is an ongoing struggle. We participated in our time,” he said. 

“We encourage all people to stand up for their rights, the constitutional rights, the rights of the community.”

Jennings said the day’s protest reminded him of his own activism. “Back in the ‘70s we were out there doing the same thing, standing up for the people’s rights in the community… what was right and what was wrong,” he said.

“Today people are standing up and making their voices known. That’s how you have to do it in America. You have to stand up, take your position and educate people.”

He also shared some advice for the current generation of activists. “Never give up,” he said. “What they’re fighting for…they’re fighting for your future. You’re fighting for your kids’ future.”

Reflecting on Juneteenth

The new exhibit also opened shortly before Juneteenth on June 19. The holiday marks the day in 1865 when slaves in Galveston, Texas learned about their emancipation. Despite its long historical roots, Juneteenth only became a national holiday in 2021 after President Joe Biden signed it into law. It became a state holiday in California in 2022.

Black Panther publications on display as part of the “Revolutionary Grain” exhibit at the California Museum June 14, 2025.Sarit Laschinsky/CapRadio

Marshall said it was difficult to describe what the holiday means. “My grandparents, my great-grandparents back in Texas… they were children of slaves,” she said. “I got all this knowledge, and sometimes I get upset because I say, ‘what did they do all that for?’”

“They fought for so much. And to me, we’re back where we were,”  Marshall added. “Has life really changed? I want to see change, but it seems like we go backwards instead of forwards.”

Despite the setbacks, Marshall maintains some optimism that things will eventually get better. “All we can do is hope, right?”

Jennings said commemorating Juneteenth’s history is an important learning moment, “so that young people today would not forget that, even though they don’t live in those conditions.”

He views the day as part of an ongoing development of gaining and protecting rights. “If we want to safeguard that, and not take steps back and be in that same position, we got to stand up today,” he said.

“Revolutionary Grain” will be on display at the California Museum through Nov. 2.