- April 8, 1977 Press Release
- May 7, 1977 Cover of Brad Lomax and Chuck Larson

"The Black Panther" Newspaper Coverage of the 504 Sit-In

Once it was clear that the 504 Sit-In in San Francisco was going to continue past the first couple days the Black Panther Party members began bringing in daily hot dinners, mobile showers for the protesters in the H.E.W building and supplied a form of security. This security amounted to the Black Panther Party, who from their own work was familiar with the organization of federal agencies such as the FBI and San Francisco Police, was able to get food  and supplies through the door. 

Material Support for 504 Protesters from the BPP

Brad Lomax was a Black disabled man, a member of the Black Panther Party, and a 504 Protester. Lomax had discovered he had symptoms of M.S. while having trouble walking in 1969. Lomax's condition grew worse, even despite medical attention. By 1977 Lomax was a full time wheelchair user and was legally blind. Lomax remained as a member of the Black Panther Party and worked to incorporate Black Disability Politics into the efforts of the BPP by focusing on the independent living movement, Lomax  later would lead the Center for Independent Living with Ed Roberts.

Brad Lomax

- The Black Panther Newspaper Coverage
- Material Support for Protesters
- BPP Party Member Engagement

University of Wisconsin - Madison

Schalk argues that the Panthers supported the demonstration because disability rights and anti-ableism fit within their existing revolutionary ideology. 

Schalk's Theory of Panther Support for 504 Sit-In

There is no Panther scholarship that discusses the BPP’s involvement in the 504 sit-in. There are only two articles “Lomax’s Matrix: Disability Solidarity, and the Black Power of 504” and “The Intersections and Divergences of Disability and Race” that provide at length engagement with this history. Recent works by Disability Activists however have added more detail to the BPP’s engagement in 504. 

Panther Involvement in the 504 Sit-In

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

Learn Before

Related

Learn After

Learn After

Related