The Black Panthers: Ericka Huggins
The Black Panthers: Ericka Huggins | Independent Lens
Ericka Huggins, a former leader in the Black Panther, shares her admiration for the passion of the young women leading the Black Lives Matter movement, and offers advice to the young women activists of today who inspire her.
Bio | Ericka Huggins Official Website
"From 1973–1981, I was the Director of the Oakland Community School, the groundbreaking community-run child development center and elementary school founded by the Black Panther Party. Working with a team of incredibly talented party members and local educators a vision for the innovative curriculum for the school was written. This curriculum and the principles that inspired it became a model for and predecessor to the charter school movement."
"In May 1969, Bobby Seale and I were targeted and arrested on conspiracy charges sparking “Free Bobby, Free Ericka” rallies across the country.
While awaiting trial for two years before charges were dropped, including time in solitary confinement, I taught myself to meditate as a means to survive incarceration and separation from my baby daughter .As a lifelong writer, upon my release from prison in 1971, I became writer and editor for the Black Panther Intercommunal News Service. In 1974, the book of poetry chronicling my experience of incarceration and liberation, Insights and Poems, co-authored with Huey P. Newton, was published. My poetry and other writings have appeared in numerous magazines and books."