Lowndes County Freedom Organization

The Lowndes County Freedom Organization (LCFO), also known as the Lowndes County Freedom Party (LCFP) or Black Panther party, was an American political party founded during 1965 in Lowndes County, Alabama.[2] The independent third party was formed by local African-American citizens and staff members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) under the leadership of Stokely Carmichael.[3]

As the Voting Rights Act of 1965 allowed African Americans to register to vote, the objective of the party was to register African Americans in a county that was 80% black.[4] John Hulett, LCFO's chairperson, was one of the first two African American voters whose registration was successfully processed in Lowndes County.[5] Local residents and SNCC staff members decided to avoid joining the Alabama Democratic party because the state party was led by segregationist Governor George Wallace and employed the slogan "White Supremacy" represented by an image of a white rooster.[6] Due to high rates of illiteracy among the black residents, an image of a black panther was adopted to identify party members of LCFO in contrast to members of the all-white Democratic party represented by a white rooster. The idea for the logo came from SNCC field secretary Ruth Howard.[7] The LCFOs symbol of a black panther was later adopted by the Black Panther Party founded by Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton and other organizations throughout the United States.[8]

The work of the political organization was examined in the documentary film Eyes on the Prize within the episode "The Time Has Come (1964–66)".