ROCHESTER, N.Y. — It's been more than 50 years since the inception of the Black Panther organization. The movement was founded by Bobby Seale and Huey Newton in 1966. The Black Panthers would go on to inspire an entire generation to have a voice and begin a new era against racial injustice.

“They're the vanguard of our people,” said Scean Gordon, Black Panther Rochester Chapter President.

Asa Adams has been a Black Panther since 1967. He joined during the civil rights movement when he was only 17 years old.

“We were pretty close to maybe 10,000 to 15,000 strong. We were all about education, protecting our people and trying to hold the community together,” said Adams.

The Black Panther organization's mission to provide for those in poverty helped lead to a number of assistance programs, including the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) , food stamps, and free breakfasts in schools.

“The Panthers had 65 programs that were implemented in today's society,” said Adams.

A Black Panther chapter was established in Rochester in 2015.

“We see the work that they have done in the past and that's what inspires me the most,” said Gordon. "We wanted to bring back a reflection of the struggle and that's why we suited up and became Black Panthers.”

“We would like to pass this torch now to a generation that's willing to come out here and educate," said Adams. "We see right now what these young kids are doing in Florida. It's basically the same thing of how the Black Panther Party started. To have a good movement that lasts you got to have children.”