On January 25, 1969 in Oakland, CA, USA, a photograph of John Huggins holding up a poster of Huey in a Rattan Chair made by (presumably) Stephen Shames, was published in “The Black Panther —Vol.2, No.21”.

“A week after the killings of John Huggins and Bunchy Carter, the January 25, 1969, issue of the Black Panther had been filled with graphics of weapons and violent confrontations with the state, as well as calls to revolutionary violence. The cover headline called the killings “A Political Assassination” and featured a photo of John Huggins holding up the poster of Huey Newton with a spear in one hand and a rifle in the other.” (Bloom 2016, 375)

The photo that was used on the cover of The Black Panther was probably a cropped image from the photo Stephen Shames made during a Free Huey rally at the Alameda County Courthouse in September 1968.

At this moment the Free Huey Campaign has become more than just about the release of Huey Newton from jail.  “The “Free Huey!” campaign rejected the legitimacy of the police and demanded Huey’s freedom irrespective of the details of the case. The Panthers turned the charges around and put America on trial.” (Bloom 2016, 114). Bobby Seale spoke on July 15, 1968 at Alameda Court House: ““Huey ain’t on trial, the black people are on trial here.” Seale argued that this was not the time or place to fight the police. But, he warned, “If anything happens to Huey P. Newton, the sky’s the limit.”” (Bloom 2016, 136).

And with this progression of the Free Huey campaign, the image of Huey in a Rattan Chair also progressed. Before the image depicted the leader of the Party and the archetype of a Black Panther, a warrior, a revolutionary. Now, the image showed Huey as a martyr for the revolution, and beyond Huey represented all those who have fallen: Bobby Hutton, Bunchy Carter, John Huggins, perhaps even Martin Luther King.  “At the April 12 funeral for [Bobby] Hutton [the first Black Panther to be killed by police], two thousand people packed into the Ephesian Church of God in Christ in Berkeley, with a hundred uniformed Black Panthers forming the honor guard. […] Seale cried out, “Free Huey!” and the crowd answered: “Free Huey!” (Bloom 2016, 119)