Black Panther Party Co-founder Elbert ‘Big Man’ Howard Dies at 80

Elbert “Big Man” Howard, a prime co-founder of the Black Panther Party with Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland has died at the age of 80. His wife, Carole Hyams states the cherished panther transitioned in Santa Rosa, Cali. on Monday after suffering from a long illness, the LA Times reports.

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Bobby Seale, 81, Founding Chairman and National Organizer of the Black Panther Party took to Facebook to announce the news, giving his fellow revolutionary sincere acknowledgment.

“Today at 6:13 am, Elbert “Big Man”, one of the original founding members of the original Black Panther Party, joined the ancestors. Above all else, Elbert “Big Man” Howard loved his comrades and all oppressed people, who he never stopped fighting for..,” writes Seale. “Big Man would say, ‘All Power Belongs to the People.'”

Howard is one of the founding members of the Black Panther Party. From 1966-1974, he served as Deputy Minister of Information and was also a member of the Central Committee and the International Solidarity Committee. As a military veteran, he was instrumental in teaching Black Panthers how to handle guns but evolved into the party’s strongest force when it came to community organizing and outreach. This responsibility lured into the birth of the collective’s social programs for the youth, most notably the Free Breakfast for Children. He became the first editor of the party’s newspaper and helped the publication reach a 200,000 weekly circulation. Howard also played a major role in the party’s global exposure, as he served as international spokesman setting up chapters in Europe and Asia.

Sanctioned as a pioneer of the Black Panther Party, Elbert “Big Man” Howard is a man whose heart has always been sincere to the goal of black liberation. It was the cries he heard in his community of Oakland, California that drew him into the Black Panther Party. After serving a couple of years in the United States Air Force, Howard met Huey Newton and Bobby Seale while he underwent studies at Merritt College. The three scholars spent time studying revolutionary theories and practices with a common cause to deal with the wavering misfortunes of their community. This desire to achieve black liberation lead to the birth of the Black Panther Party, making Howard one of the six founding members. Howard is instrumental in the history of Panther journalism as the first editor of its newspaper, The Black Panther Party Community News Service. Until his death, Big Man continued to achieve party goals by serving as an adviser to several groups in the country to improve the conditions of health care and education.