Introduction“Black panther, a colloquial term used to refer to large cats classified in the genus Panthera that are characterized by a coat of black fur or large concentrations of black spots on a dark background” . The Black Panther is an intelligent, beautiful and very cunning animal. The panther is found in Asia and Africa and are actually different types of cats. They are mostly leopards and jaguars and are not really found in America. Additionally, the Black Panther was adapted into the superhero “Black Panther” by Marvel, and in 2018 he made a huge difference in society when the movie hit the screen. So today when we hear about Black Panther we either talk about the animal or superhero. However, before the superhero made his debut, there were other heroes in history who took the name "Black Panther" and made a difference in history. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayThe Black Panther Party, as it was known, used the animal as a symbol because it symbolized the strength and dignity of blacks and was meant to show that blacks had the courage and determination to stand up to racism and oppression. In this essay I will talk about the Black Panther Party, who created it and why, whether the meaning has changed over time, and what other groups besides the Black Panther Party have adopted the concept and ideas. Additionally, I would discuss the ideas of Zerubavel and O'Brien to help understand the symbol. The Creation of the Symbol Before the Black Panther Party got its name, it was known as the Lowndes County Freedom Organization in Alabama. This group was a political party that would allow African Americans to hold political office. However, for your organization to function, you needed to have a logo to match your organization. Therefore, this was the creation of the Black Panther symbol. Ruth Howard, Dorothy Zellner, and Lisa Lyons were the women who created the Black Panther logo for the organization. They were sought out to bring such a powerful symbol to a community determined to fight for their freedom and rights. O'Brien (2017) states “Without symbolic systems, human experience and culture would not be possible.” This is true of what O'Brien says about symbolic systems and that without them we cannot embrace inexperience and other cultures. The symbol of the Black Panther has its social meaning in African-American society and is still an important part of the culture today. Even after the party's dissolution in 1982, their legacy lives on in many movements that follow in their footsteps. The Legacy and Changes of the Black Panther Founded in 1966 by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland following the assassination of Malcolm The Black Panther Party was originally a group created as a self-defense force to help African-American neighborhoods stay safe from police brutalizing them. The Black Panther not only faced problems with the police, but within their own communities they did things from providing for others and even helping with educational purposes and even helping those who needed clothing and shelter. As time passed, the party took on a different perspective and began to revolutionize its movement. The party became more violent than peaceful and began to hate whites for the mistreatment they suffered. O'Brien (2017) states that “We interact with each other by observing ourselves and orienting our behaviors based on our interpretations of others' expectations.” Thisviolent behavior was triggered and became a problem that put many African Americans in prison and even killed. This was not the purpose of the Black Panther party. The Black Panther Party stopped the violence and focused on what they meant first and that was to help the African American community with problems such as health problems, poor living conditions, providing jobs and fighting for their rights. The Black Panther party has over the years made connections with other groups and formed alliances with these groups. The holiday became a national session as they began the march to stop the brutality of African Americans. They caught a lot of people's attention, and those people weren't happy about it. Those who were not happy with this group showing up and making a name for itself were groups like white supremacist groups and even the FBI. However, even with these matters in hand, the Black Panther Party became an international organization that spread to 40 states in the United States and even around the world took part in this organization and helped support the Black Panther Party . Even with all the support they had, it all had to stop, so in 1982 the party disbanded and the Black Panther Party was no more. Although the party ended its activity, the legacy lived on in many African Americans and its influence pushed African Americans to defend themselves and form groups with the ideas and motivations they had received from the original Black Panther Party. Out with the Old, In with the New Even though the party disbanded in 1982, their legacy continues to cause others to do what they couldn't and start their own organization. The group that adopted the symbol was known as The New Black Panther Party, founded in 1989 by Aaron Michaels and was supposed to be a party to help black citizens become activists. However, this group used the Black Panther symbol in the wrong way and this made the old original party member angry. Although the Black Panther symbol was known for Black strength and dignity, the new party exploited it to its fullest power. Zerubavel (1991) states that “human behavior can vary over a huge range, but each community draws a symbolic series of brackets around a certain segment of the range and limits its activities within that narrower zone. The behavior of this new group used the symbol to encourage hatred towards whites, Jews and law enforcement. This new party has no connection to the original party, and is simply taking the name and symbol and turning it into a supremacist group. Although the new party still abides by the old rules, it made changes to the “10 Point Platform” that came from the original Black Panther Party and began calling for many things to be done for the black community. The group became famous as time went by and ran into many problems which led to this group being known as the “black racist hate group”. The New Black Panther Party is still active today and even has its own podcast on the radio. so that members can listen to them. Even though the New Black Panther party does not resemble the original concepts, its motivations are still to help African Americans achieve freedom. Furthermore, many other African American movements were also formed through the ideas of the Black Panther Party. A movement known as Black Live Matter was one such African American movement. This movement did not adopt the symbol or name of the Black Panther Party but it adopted the ideas and concepts that formed around injustice towards African Americans. This movement has been seen,.