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Paul Birdsong | |
|---|---|
| Born | Paul Birdsong United States |
| Occupations | Political activist, community organizer |
| Organization | Black Panther Party for Self-Defense (contemporary) |
| Known for | Chairman of a contemporary Black Panther Party for Self-Defense |
Paul Birdsong (born September 29, 1986) is an American Black liberation activist and community organizer [1] from Lansing, Michigan [2] . He purports to serve as the national chairman of a contemporary organization using the historic name Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. [3] [4] [5] He and his group describe their formation as a continuation of the Black Panther Party tradition of armed self-defense and community survival programs, while journalists and commentators treat it as a new organization drawing on the historic party's imagery and politics. [3] [4] [5]
In a 2025 profile, Birdsong stated that his political radicalization followed the 2020 murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests against police brutality in the United States. [3] He has described himself as having come from a working‑class background and as having been influenced by Black nationalist and anti‑imperialist literature. [3]
According to Birdsong, he was recruited into organized Panther work after the 2020 protests and came into contact with surviving members of the original Black Panther Party, who he says have provided advice and mentorship to his organization. [3] [4]
Birdsong is acting as national chairman of a contemporary organization that uses the name Black Panther Party for Self-Defense and operates primarily out of West Philadelphia. [4] [5] The group is visually modelled on the historic Black Panther Party founded in 1966: members typically wear black clothing, leather jackets and berets, and sometimes openly carry firearms in jurisdictions where this is lawful. [4] [5] Birdsong has maintained that the organization functions "under the tutelage" of original Panthers and that it seeks to revive what he calls "the people's survival programs" for the present day. [3] [4]
The contemporary party under Birdsong is organizationally distinct from the original Black Panther Party, and from other formations that have used similar names. Reporters covering the group in Philadelphia have emphasized that, while it draws heavily on Black Panther symbolism and rhetoric, it does not claim formal legal continuity with the historic national organization. [4] [5]
Despite Birdsong's Lansing, Michigan origins, Birdsong's group is most visible in Philadelphia, where it runs weekly mutual‑aid activities in predominantly Black neighborhoods. [4] [5] These include free distributions of food, fresh produce, hygiene products, clothing and school supplies, financed by member contributions and community donations. Older residents quoted in local reporting have compared these efforts to the free breakfast and other survival programs run by the historic Panthers in the city during the late 1960s and 1970s. [4]
In addition to mutual aid, the organization conducts armed patrols and security details in some neighborhoods, a practice Birdsong describes as both symbolic and practical self-defense against racist violence and police brutality. [4] [5] The group also organizes political education classes, self-defense and firearms‑safety trainings, and discussion circles on Black history and identity. [3]
In January 2026 Birdsong and members of his organization gained wider attention when they provided an armed presence at protests outside a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in Philadelphia, held after the killing of Renée Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. [5] [4] Birdsong told reporters that "no one would have gotten touched if we had been there" and argued that visible community self-defense was necessary to deter state and far‑right violence. [5] [4]
Local residents quoted in media reports have credited the group with providing needed food and material support in under‑resourced neighborhoods and with giving some community members a sense of protection and empowerment. [4]
Civil‑rights commentators interviewed by local outlets have questioned whether an armed formation, even one that emphasizes discipline and non‑aggression, could escalate tensions with police or other armed actors, and have contrasted Birdsong's strategy with non‑violent protest traditions. [4] Birdsong has responded that his organization follows strict rules of engagement, does not initiate violence and has, in his view, prevented potential attacks on protesters by its presence. [4] [5]
In a 2026 social media post. Myesha Newton, niece of the late Black Panther founder Huey P. Newton, threatened to sue Mr. Birdsong for use of the name. However, Rico Dukes, a man who has claimed to be Newton's son responded that he had met with Birdsong and given him blessing to use the name. [6]
Birdsong situates his politics within a Black revolutionary and anti‑imperialist tradition, frequently using the slogan "All power to the people" and emphasizing that his group "means no harm, but will accept no harm". [3] [4] In interviews he has criticized what he characterizes as a "cabal" of political and economic elites in the United States, accusing them of waging war on poor and working‑class communities, and has argued that armed community self-defense is a legitimate response to state violence. [3] [5]
He and his organization oppose police brutality, mass incarceration, the school-to-prison pipeline, and what they describe as U.S. imperialism abroad, while promoting solidarity between Black, Indigenous and other oppressed communities. [3] [4] They also oppose capitalism. [7] Birdsong has stated that his group works with local churches, grassroots organizations and some labor activists, though the extent of these alliances has not been independently quantified in the press. [4]