Park Service cancels Black Panther legacy project at Cal amid conservative outcry

This is an undated photo of Black Panther national chairman Bobby Seale, wearing a Colt .45, left, and Huey Newton, defense minister with a bandoleer and shotgun in Oakland. This is an undated photo of Black Panther national chairman Bobby Seale, wearing a Colt .45, left, and Huey Newton, defense minister with a bandoleer and shotgun in Oakland. Photo: Ap, AP Photo: Ap, AP Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Park Service cancels Black Panther legacy project at Cal amid conservative outcry 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

The National Park Service pulled funding for a Black Panther Party legacy project to be undertaken at UC Berkeley, officials confirmed. The move comes amid outcry about from conservative organizations.

In September, the Park Service announced its intent to award Ula Taylor, incoming chair of African American Studies at UC Berkeley, the $98,000 grant, which was "committed to truthfully honoring the legacy of BPP activists and the San Francisco Bay Area communities they served," according to an official notice obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

Park Service spokesman Craig Dalby said despite a notice of funding availability posted on grants.gov for the "Black Panther Party Research, Interpretation & Memory Project," the "cooperative agreement" was never finalized.

"After an additional review of the project, the NPS decided not to move forward with funding the project," Dalby told SFGATE.

Several conservative organizations had criticized the project, including the Fraternal Order of Police. In an Oct. 19 letter to President Donald Trump, the group objected to what they interpreted as the memorialization of a "militant anti-American group."

Taylor co-authored "Panther: The Illustrated History of the Black Panther Movement and the Story Behind the Film" and acted as an advisor on Mario Van Peebles' "Panther" film. She did not immediately respond to SFGATE's request to comment.

A UC Berkeley representative said university research funding agreements are left up to the principal investigator and the funding agency.

"Faculty have academic freedom to pursue research interests and to go after the funding that makes those pursuits possible," he said. "As always, we have an unwavering commitment to academic freedom."

Michelle Robertson is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @mrobertsonsf.