Kent Ford

Kent Ford (born 1943) is a co-founder of the Portland chapter of the Black Panther Party in the U.S. state of Oregon in 1969.

Early life Kent Ford was born in 1943 near Maringouin, Louisiana. At the age of 12 he moved to Redmond, California with his three siblings, mother, and her husband. He was eventually acquitted and awarded a $6,000 settlement.

In 2020, Ford participated in protests against police brutality in Portland, Oregon.

Founding the Portland chapter of the Black Panther Party In 1968, after the shooting of Martin Luther King Jr., a group of 20 Black young adults in Portland started regularly meeting to discuss the writings of Malcolm X and other activist writers; not more than a year later, in June 1969, Kent Ford was beaten and jailed for these activities. After Ford's release from jail he organized a press conference on the steps of Portland Central Precinct, then at SW Second & Oak, and proclaimed, "If they keep coming in with these fascist tactics we're going to defend ourselves." In total, the initial Portland Panthers had approximately 50 members, half of whom were women. A stage reading of the play was conducted in February 2022, during a three day tribute in Portland honoring Kent Ford. The Vanport Mosaic and Confrontation Theatre presented the solo play in June 2022.