Printmaker and sculptor Elizabeth Catlett is known for her social realist portraits of Black figures. Her work spans both famous subjects, such as Harriet Tubman and Malcolm X, and anonymous workers. Homage to the Panthers includes symbols and styles of Black Power that were central to the aesthetic of the Black Panther Party: raised Black fists, Afros, leather jackets, and black berets. The gun at the bottom of the image alludes to one of the Panthers’ core programs: an armed citizen watch force, created to monitor police presence in their communities in an effort to eliminate police brutality.