The first time Marvel's Black Panther was introduced to the public, it was widely assumed that the character was named after the Black Panther Party. In reality, the comic debuted in July 1966, and the Black Panther Party (BPP) was formed by Bobby Seale and Huey Newton just a few months later in October. The two Panthers are unrelated, and Marvel actually briefly changed their hero’s name to the Black Leopard to avoid political associations.
The real story of influence is how the BPP directly inspired the foundation of the Polynesian Panther Party (PPP), a New Zealand-based group formed in 1971 to fight injustices against Indigenous Māori and Pacific Islanders in Auckland. The PPP directly adopted many Black Panther practices, including the ten-point program the BPP put forth outlining their goals.