ELDRIDGE CLEAVER’S CODPIECE

(and other sidequests)

In 1975, Leroy Eldridge Cleaver (August 31, 1935 – May 1, 1998), a former Black Panther leader, decided to become a fashion designer. He created “virility” codpiece pants designed to liberate men from “penis binding.”

William Klein, Eldridge Cleaver, Black Panther (1970)



© Kameelah Janan Rasheed 2026