On Jan. 7, 2026, federal law enforcement, while conducting an immigration roundup, executed 37-year-old Renée Good. Good had been attempting to drive away from the officers when one stepped up and fired three shots into her. In the days after this daytime execution, Chairman Paul Birdsong of the then Black Panther Party of Philadelphia went viral on social media as he posed with assault weapons, proclaiming the party’s resurgence and resistance to the growing government overreach. We reached out to the New York chapter of the group over Instagram to ask for an interview, hoping to learn more about their organization, their goals and their message. That same day, they responded, “We can make it work.”
We took an early train down to the city and made our way to the project buildings of Two Bridges, Manhattan. Our contact, Comrade Lu, dressed in a black puffer jacket, black jeans and a beanie bearing the name of the Black Panther Party, came around a corner and brought us into the lobby of one of the nearby buildings. There, we greeted the four or five other members of the party present. The men referred to each other as comrades and often quoted the original Black Panther founders and members on ideological fronts. As we talked, members of the group stood by the door ready to help anyone entering from the cold. The group we met takes inspiration from the Black Panther Party for Self Defense (BPPSD), formed in 1966 by Bobby Seale and Huey Newton. Founded on a 10-point program emphasizing civil rights, community outreach, anticapitalism and resistance to police violence, the BPPSD organized a free breakfast program, sponsored and created schools, distributed clothes and operated armed patrols. At its peak, the group had thousands of members and became a large figure in discussions of civil rights.
While the defining image of a Black Panther remains that of a Black man in a leather jacket, beret and a long gun, thanks in large part to their armed patrols and protests, their “survival programs,” which consisted of a set of welfare initiatives, were their main focus. In 1970, Fred Hampton, then Deputy Chairman of the BPPSD in Illinois, united street gangs and other ethnic movements under the Rainbow Coalition to fight poverty, inequality and police violence irrespective of race. The next decade saw the decline, primarily due to increased police intervention and infighting, of the BPPSD, and in 1982, the last Panther-backed school closed.
In 2020, current Chairman Paul Birdsong was vetted and given consent by Aaron Dixon, an original member and leader of the first original chapter outside of Oakland, to create a new Black Panther Party. Due to an internal feud, the organization announced a sudden name change on Jan. 26, mere days after our interview. The movement, and all of its chapters across the United States, will now continue under the name of the “Black Lion Party for International Solidarity.”
However, the “Black Lion Party” remains dedicated to the same ideals as it did before this name change. The party will continue its free breakfast program, currently operating in New York City and Philadelphia. Additionally, the Black Lions hand out warm winter clothes and run mid-day food stands. The party also remains loyal to its original ideology. They maintain a 10-point program, which is remarkably similar to the 20th-century BPPSD program from 1972. Some points are nearly copied and pasted from the older program. In our discussion with members of the Party, they outlined an ideological dedication to international justice and freedom for all oppressed people. One member proclaimed that the organization stands for a wide variety of people, describing, “The little kids growing up, to the grandpas, to you college kids…we’d even stand up for ET’s cousin.” Just like the organization of the 60s and 70s, the Black Lions are committed to self-defense and maintaining firearms. The Lions in Philadelphia have been seen on armed patrols. Comrade Lu, our main contact, stated their opposition to fighting violence with more violence, yet he maintained their willingness and ability to meet violence on its level, saying, “You have to touch us first for us to act in any way.” He also said, when asked about their stance on firearms, that “It’s all about self defense, defense.” He emphasized the organization’s commitment to protecting themselves. When asked if they worry about growing violence, Lu posited, “We ready more than worry.”
The Black Lions have recently amassed a large following on social media through viral clips featuring members in public carrying firearms. These videos have reached a wide audience, appealing to those with pent-up anger about the ongoing slide into authoritarianism. While the Philadelphia chapter is the largest, the group is also present in Baltimore and New York, with many other cities applying to open chapters. Comments on the BLP social media posts indicate willingness to join with the cause, with many people asking how and where to sign up. At the meeting we attended, 10 new recruits were present, all of whom indicated excitement and a sense of confidence in the movement. This comes as the organization is going through a period of intense strife.
This conflict came to a head on Jan. 26, as the organization changed its name, caused by dissension from Dixon. Publicly, the official given reason comes out of ideological differences and a difference in the treatment of members of the organization. In a video announcing the name change, Chairman Birdsong alleged that the party’s rejection of black nationalism and embrace of internationalism, as well as Mr. Dixon’s attacks on the organization, motivated the change. A source informed us that much of the ideological conflict came down to former Black Panthers believing “you shouldn’t be fighting for internationalism, when it [the Black Panther Party] was originally created for internationalism.” Mr. Dixon released a statement on social media, claiming the issue came down to a perceived sense of egoism and Chairman Birdsong violating a critical promise.
For all this discussion of ideological difference and personal feuds, we were informed of members of the community echoing suspicions that elders from the Black Panther Party who had previously endorsed Chairman Birdsong’s organization may have been bribed. Believers in this theory are concerned with how support was so quickly withdrawn, just as the party is beginning to gain notoriety. A source stated to us, “We as a whole, as a community, don’t know what to believe. We don’t know why they’d withdraw their backing and support after six years.” Upon pressing the subject of government payoffs, we were told, “There are suspicions within the community that elders are having to be paid off by the government, because just nothing makes sense.” Further, a multitude of other organizations call themselves “Black Panthers,” but none have faced public criticism.
While the BLP is still in the fledgling phase, the group carries a lot of momentum. One member stated, “Nobody cared about the Black Panthers a year ago, but the work continued.” Even as the movement grows, the Lions made it abundantly clear that they were and would always be for the people. While some, especially in online activist spaces, may criticize the BLP as a form of role-playing, revolutionary fantasy or unnecessary incitement, the work the Lions do for their communities is something sorely missing from today’s politics. Furthermore, the party seems to provide a solid foundation for real reform and passion, something that has long been seen as missing from the Democratic Party. Interviews with members of the party indicate the desire to continue working despite the drama of the name change. One member stated, “We don’t do it for the back and forth rhetoric… it’s irrelevant to us.” The BLP continues to patrol streets, run food assistance programs and give out clothes to the needy. At a time when people are as disillusioned with activism as now, the BLP provides an outlet and opportunity for those interested in directly helping people.