Three blocks of Broadway in downtown Oakland now carry a second name: Black Panther Party Boulevard. The Oakland City Council voted unanimously on Oct. 6 to commemoratively rename Broadway between 14th Street and 17th Street in honor of the Black Panther Party, which Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale founded in Oakland in 1966. A public ribbon cutting is planned for this Saturday, Oct. 17, during the party's 60th anniversary weekend.

What the council approved

The item, Resolution 27-0082, was brought by Councilmember Carroll Fife, according to the council's draft minutes from the Oct. 6 meeting. It does two things: it designates the stretch of Broadway from 14th to 17th streets as "Black Panther Party Boulevard," and it authorizes plaques honoring the party at three intersections: 14th and Broadway, 15th and Broadway, and 17th and Broadway. The minutes say the designation follows the policy and criteria the city set for commemorative street names in Resolution No. 77967 C.M.S.

The location was chosen with intent. The Black Panther Party Museum, which the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation opened in January 2024, sits at 1427 Broadway, inside the newly named stretch. The foundation says it holds the largest archival collection on the party, housed at Stanford University Libraries. The museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and by appointment on Mondays and Tuesdays, according to the foundation's website.

Saturday's ceremony

The foundation announced Monday that party veterans and local figures will gather at 15th Street and Broadway for the renaming and ribbon cutting, Bay City News reported. KALW said the ribbon cutting is set for 11:30 a.m., and Bay City News said people can start gathering at that time.

"Sixty years ago, Huey and Bobby began something in Oakland that would ultimately reach communities around the world," Fredrika Newton, president and co-founder of the foundation and the museum, said in the announcement. She said naming Broadway, the museum's home, as Black Panther Party Boulevard "cements the Party's legacy in the heart of downtown Oakland."

Part of a four-day anniversary

The ribbon cutting is one piece of the Black Panther Party 60th Anniversary, which runs Thursday, Oct. 15, through Sunday, Oct. 18, and includes a two-day conference, a gala and a community gathering. Details and tickets are listed at bpp60.org. For the free and low-cost stops around town, including the library exhibit, Friday Nights at OMCA and Sunday's Community Day at DeFremery Park, see our guide to the 60th anniversary events. The College of Marin has also opened a permanent exhibition of work by former party artist Emory Douglas.

If you're going

The ceremony is at a busy downtown corner close to the 12th Street and 19th Street BART stations. Organizers have not said whether any lanes of Broadway will close for the event, so check AC Transit and city notices before you drive.