for SDS “Black Power and Its Challenges” conference at UC Berkeley

"Her name was Lisa Lyons. And although, according to Lyons, she initially 'chose the Lowndes County Freedom Organization panther for Black Power Day materials since it was already widely recognized nationally as a symbol of black power by the fall of 1966,' she adapted it in a variety of ways. As active members of the Independent Socialist Club (ISC) at University of California Berkeley, Liz and her partner Kit used the standard panther in multiple ISC and Panther publications throughout 1966 and 1967, including 'a poster for an ISC/Black Panther Party rally in defense of the ghetto uprisings and a label used for cans for fundraising for the Panthers, and a variety of Panther-related buttons.' She made small modifications to the panther symbol, like changing the number of claws depending on the size of the publication, based on it’s ultimate use—for cartoons, buttons, etc. In a speech delivered at the 1966 Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)-sponsored 'Black Power and its Challenges' conference at U.C. Berkeley, Carmichael said, 'We chose for the emblem a black panther, a beautiful black animal which symbolizes the strength and dignity of black people, an animal that never strikes back until he's back so far into the wall, he's got nothing to do but spring out. Yeah. And when he springs he does not stop.' So too, the three women behind the symbol—Dorothy Zellner, Ruth Howard, and Lisa Lyons—who heretofore have had an untold role in creating one of the most powerful icons of community self-defense and empowerment of the 20th century."—https://designobserver.com/feature/the-women-behind-the-black-panther-party-logo/39755