The Black Panther Party for Self Defense changed the world with its militant expression of Black Pride and empowerment. This Detour will walk you through North Oakland's small Santa Fe neighborhood, where two college kids started a movement that fed pancakes to hungry kids, gave legal assistance to families, and carried enough guns to get them labeled “the greatest domestic threat to American National Security.”

On this Detour, you’ll visit the intersection where the Black Panthers became the first crossing guards to carry shotguns. You’ll flip through their favorite quotes from Chairman Mao, eat sweet potato pie baked at the site of their national headquarters, and hear directly from original Panthers like Emory Douglas and Bobby Seale. Plus you’ll get a first hand look at the fruits of the Panthers’ legacy--the modern day activists carrying on in their footsteps--and the economic forces that might wipe that legacy away.

Best of all, this Detour is set to the beat of the Black Panthers house band, an incredible group of Oakland musicians called The Lumpen.