Shades, afros, black leather jackets and revolution – few political parties have harnessed style quite like the Black Panthers. Formed in California in 1966 with the purpose of challenging police brutality towards black people, the Panthers had an understanding of the power of image and attitude that was decades ahead of its time. Violence and controversy dogged the group, which disbanded in the early 80s, but recent police shootings in the US have given added resonance to Stanley Nelson's striking documentary The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution. 

“What has lasted about them,” says Nelson, who was 15 when they formed, “is the aesthetic, and their influence on culture – that look. It was one of the things that attracted people. The Panthers had a very strong attitude and that has lasted too.” 

So, did the group bring about change in America? “For the vast majority of African-Americans, their lives and their opportunities have not changed much,” says Nelson. “An end to police brutality, decent housing, decent schools, full employment – all of the things the Panthers were calling for in the 60s [have not materialized].”

Some moments in the film, such as the 13-year-old girl's admiring letter to co-founder Huey Newton, or John Lennon's deference to party chairman Bobby Seale, show just how much the younger generation in the 60s related to the Panthers. “Most of the Panthers were teenagers, and I want kids to see that and know that they can make change too. It can happen,” says Nelson. “Young people have been turning up to see the film at festivals. We want them to understand the cautionary tale of the story – what the Panthers did right, and what they did wrong.” 

“We're at an interesting time in the United States where race is being talked about in a way that it hasn't before,” adds Nelson. “White people have seen these police shootings and are saying, ‘Why didn't you tell us this is the way it is?’ And black people are saying, ‘We've been trying to tell you for a hundred years!’”

Tom Horan is Culture Editor-at-Large at NOWNESS.