During the height of the Party’s activities, from 1967 to 1973, photographer Stephen Shames had unprecedented access to the organization. He captured not only its public face — street demonstrations, protests, and militant posturing — but also unscripted behind-the-scenes moments, such as private meetings held in the Party headquarters, scenes from the Panther schools and free meal programs, and Bobby Seale at work on his mayoral campaign in Oakland.
Stephen Shames’s Black Panther pictures were taken while he was still a student at the University of California, Berkley. Their immediacy and intimacy connect less to the prevalent photojournalistic styles of the day, and connect more to the inside-view documentary styles of Danny Lyon and Larry Clark."