"The Black Panthers" picture analysis

The exhibit "The Black Panthers: Making Sense of History" reminded me how different the world was back during the time of the Civil Rights movement. It's easy for a lot of people to go look at some pictures in a room and applaud their meaning, but the exhibit has a completely different meaning if you take time to think just how different society was during the time of the Black Panthers.

One picture that I found a bit more interesting than the rest was the picture on the left towards the back of the room that showed two Black Panthers, one male and the other female, standing outside of a Black Panther headquarters in Oakland. The man and woman are both dressed in black and look as if they're guarding the building from any non-believers. The first thing that caught my attention in this picture was the body language of the two guards. Neither are smiling, or show any sign of facial expression. Furthermore, both have their knees locked and are standing in a very assertive manner, almost to say that they're not moving for anyone. This type of body language exhibits pure strength. The emotions of these two people embody the entire philosophy of the Black Panthers.

The second thing I noticed about the picture was the building in the background. Although the building is white, it is marked with various posters and things of that nature. The building also has obviously been there for a long time because they're are cracks everywhere in the cement. I think that the building is symbolism for how African-Americans were treated during this time as well as the reason the Black Panthers existed: to bring equality to the black race