In addition to centering Black disabled protestors, the Black Panther very consciously focused on quoting and interviewing protestors such as Kitty Cone and Ed Roberts (pictured below). This is in contrast to many other papers centering of HEW officials and politicians and reflects the Panther's emphasis on strengthening the power of the people and showing the role every individual has to play in a revolutionary agenda. 

Centering of Protestors in the Black Panther Coverage of 504

Through centering Black Disabled people the Black Panther also showed how they had been influenced by the writings of Black feminists such as Frances M. Beal's conception of "double jeopardy" by using terms like multi-disabilities and double whammy to show the intersections of racism and ableism for Black disabled people. 

The Black Panthers Centering of Intersectionality 

In addition to coverage of Black Disabled Panthers such as Brad Lomax, the Black Panther published an interview with Dennis Billups , a black blind man who was not a Panther who was features on the May 7th Cover of the Black Panther. The interview with Billups highlighted the BPP's want for more Black disabled involvement and inclusion in the Panther's work. 

University of Wisconsin - Madison

- The Social Model of Disability and BPP Ideology
- "The Black Panther's" Focus on Access over Costs
- Centering of Dennis Billups and Black Disabled Voices
- Centering of Protesters
- "Double Jeopardy"
- Ableist Language in "The Black Panther"

Rhetoric from the Black Panther Party around the 504 Sit Ins

Brad Lomax, a disabled Black man and Panther, and Chuck Jackson, a non-disabled Black man and Panther, were featured on the May 7 cover "The Black Panther" both men served as representative delegates to Washington DC for the 504 coalition. This cover was part of the ongoing coverage by "The Black Panther" of the 504 Protests. "The Black Panther" covered the Sit-In ten times during the length of the demonstration and eight times after it had ended. "The Black Panther" served as  one of the foremost sources on the 504 Sit-In with only a local paper, the San Francisco Chronicle, covering the protest more often. 

May 7, 1977 Cover of Brad Lomax and Chuck Jackson

Schalk, Sami. Black Disability Politics, New York, USA: Duke University Press, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781478027003

Black Disability Politics

The Black Panther party news coverage of the 504 sit-in focused on the oppressions, stereotypes and stigma faced by disabled people. This coverage of the 504 sit-in focusing of the societal and political barriers of disability rather than the medical or physical barriers introduced readers to the social model of disability.

The Social Model of Disability in the Black Panther

The Black Panther focused more on highlighting the Ford and Carter administrations' policy failures to implement section 504 which was a sharp difference from other national papers that mentioned the cost of implementation to provide a rational for the lack of implementation.

"The Black Panther's" Focus on Access over Costs

While the Black Panther's coverage of the 504 demonstration was a radical example of Black disability politics there was ableism in the Black Panthers coverage. For instance the Black Panther described the protesters as "inspiring" and "most poignant" these words often are associated with inspiration porn and are patronizing as based in narratives of overcoming disability. The Black Panther also stated that Brad Lomax was "victimized by multiple sclerosis." This presentation of Lomax's relationship with M.S. suggests that Lomax was only harmed and suffered  from M.S. rather than just being a person living with M.S.

Ableist Language in the Black Panther

Schalk argues that in order to truly understand the extent of the BPP's Black Disability Politics we have to look at how the Panthers engaged with disability less explicitly, for instance in the case of the Oakland Community School. By looking at instances where disability is engaged with less explicitly we see how Black Disability Politics is often constructed alongside and interwoven with concerns regarding racism, classism, and misyogny. We also must interpret engagement with disability by Black cultural workers within the historical, racial, and cultural context.

Less Explicit Disability Rhetoric and the Black Panther Party

The Black Panther published their final articles on psychosurgery in 1977 - these articles, published concurrently with coverage of the 504 Sit-In, detailed the story of Lou Byers.

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