Shortly after my 21st birthday my dearest friend, my husband, John Huggins, was murdered. Ericka Huggins led the Black Panther Party’s Los Angeles chapter with her husband, John Huggins, only to have to cope with his killing; she endured two years in jail while awaiting trial with Bobby Seale; and later became director of the groundbreaking Oakland Community School. When her husband was murdered by COINTELPRO agents, Huggins moved to his hometown and opened a BPP branch in New Haven, Con-necticut. This curriculum and the principles that inspired it became a model for and predecessor to the charter school movement. Ericka Huggins attended the burial of her husband in his birthplace of New Haven. She is a survivor of solitary confinement and was made widow after her husband was assassinated by the FBI in 1969. Just three weeks after their daughter was born, a member of a rival organization murdered John on the UCLA campus. After joining the party in 1968,[5] Ericka Huggins became a leader in the Los Angeles chapter and later led the Black Panther Party chapter in New Haven, Connecticut, along with two other women, Kathleen Neal Cleaver and Elaine Brown. Ericka Jenkins Huggins was born in Washington D.C. on January 5, 1948. I accepted the invitation. I also developed a unique volunteer support program for women and children of color, living with HIV, in the Tenderloin and Mission districts of San Francisco. Get PDF (197 KB) Abstract. World Trust uses films that document, through story, the impact of systems of racial inequity. 36 Mary Phillips and they had a daughter, Mai. In 1968, at age 18, Huggins became a leader in the Los Angeles chapter of the Black Panther Party with her husband John Huggins. ... She soon became a leader in the Los Angeles chapter of the Black Panther Party with her husband John Huggins. Biography Education and career. I was immediately a single mom and widow. Ericka Huggins was the guest at the Women's Community Center's second annual Gender Equity and Justice Summit. My heart broke. She was a founding member of the Los Angeles chapter with her husband, John Huggins. In 1968, at age 18, she became a leader in the Los Angeles chapter of the Black Panther Party with her husband John Huggins. BlackCommentator.com Guest Commentator, Ericka Huggins was a member of the Black Panther Party (BPP) for 14 years. Born Ericka Jenkins in Washington, D.C., Huggins was the middle child of three.After graduating high school in 1966, Huggins attended Cheyney State College.She began her collegiate years at Lincoln University, where she met her husband, Vietnam veteran John Huggins. Mar 21, 2016 - Huggins attended Cheyney State College. By Ericka Huggins. Huggins holds a master's degree in Sociology. She has lectured throughout the United States and internationally. [4] In addition, she has lectured at Stanford, Cornell, and UCLA.[4]. Below are the films that I use to stimulate dialogue as I travel and speak to audiences large and small: The Way Home: Women Talk About Race in America, Light in the Shadows: Staying at the Table When the Conversation About Race Gets Hard, Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible, Cracking the Codes: A System of Racial Inequity, And coming soon in September 2017: Healing Justice: Cultivating a World of Belonging. Living under constant threat, two and ½ months later I was arrested. In 1966, Ericka completing her school days at a high school in Washington DC, Ericka got enrolled in Cheyney State College, though later she moved to Lincoln University to complete her collegiate, and there she met her future husband from Vietnam, John Huggins, who attained the … She is a former leading member of the Black Panther Party. Ericka Huggins is a human rights activist, poet, educator, Black Panther leader and former political prisoner. Tensions between the Black Panther Party and US were later shown to have been fomented by an FBI counterintelligence campaign. Biography Education and career. I am a human rights activist, poet, educator, Black Panther Party leader and former political prisoner. She attended Lincoln University where she met her husband, Vietnam veteran John Huggins. And Bunchy’s son would be born just three months later. Averill: After John Huggins was murdered, Ericka Huggins moved to New Haven, Connecticut to be near her late husband’s family. Born: Ericka Jenkins January 5, 1948 [1] Washington, D.C. U.S. Huggins began her collegiate years at Lincoln University where she met her husband, Vietnam veteran John Huggins. Mai Huggins is the daughter of two former Panthers, Ericka and John Huggins, and Rasa Mott is the son of Ms. Huggins and her second husband, James Mott, also a … She holds a master's degree in Sociology. There, she committed to moving from the sidelines to the frontlines in the global human rights movement. Shortly after John's death, Ericka traveled with their infant daughter to John's family's After graduating high school in 1966, she attended Cheyney State College and from there enrolled at Lincoln University, an HBCU in Philadelphia, where she met her husband, Vietnam veteran John Huggins. In the BPP, Ericka Huggins served in many capacities, including working as editor of the BPP newspaper, the Black Panther, also known as the Black Panther Intercommunal News Service. In May 1971 the jury deadlocked 10 to 2 for Huggins' acquittal, and she was not retried.[11]. In 1968, at age 18, I joined the Black Panther Party. [3] She was the Director of the Black Panther Party's Oakland Community School from 1973 to 1981. She began her collegiate years at Lincoln University, where she met her husband, Vietnam veteran John Huggins. She is a human rights activist, poet, educator, and former political prisoner. Ericka Huggins is a human rights activist, poet, educator, Black Panther leader and former political prisoner. Three months after the murder of her husband, Ericka Huggins was arrested along with Bobby Seale for conspiring to commit murder after FBI informants had infiltrated the Panthers and a BPP … Ericka Huggins sheds tears of joy as she is released from prison in New Haven, Ct. May 25, 1971 after murder and kidnap charges against her and Panther chair Bobby Seale were dropped after a six-month trial. She soon became a leader in the Los Angeles chapter of the Black Panther Party with her husband John Huggins. There, I committed to serving people for the rest of my life. Listen now BBC World Service. Ericka Huggins and the Black Panther Party Mary Phillips In 1971 Black Panther Party (BPP) members Ericka Huggins and Bobby Seale were tried for kidnapping, murder, and conspiracy. In 1969, at age 18, she became a leader in the Los Angeles chapter of the Black Panther Party with her husband John Huggins. Huggins described motivation for joining the BPP and her time as a member, her current work as an AIDS activist, and her work with prison inmates. Our new baby daughter was three months old. As an activist, former political prisoner & leader in the Black Panther Party, educator & student I’ve devoted my life to the equitable treatment of all human beings—beyond the boundaries of race, age, culture, class, gender, sexual orientation, ability and status associated with citizenship. https://www.ciis.edu/ciis-news-and-events/campus-calendar/huggins-ericka-fa16 She moved to California in 1972 & became an elected member of the Berkeley Community Development Council. Yuri and Ericka have remained steadfastly loyal to … Tensions between the Black Panther Party and US were later shown to have been fomented by an FBI counterintelligence campaign. While students at Lincoln University, she and her husband, John Huggins, left the university and drove to California, along with a friend, in 1968 to join the Los Angeles Chapter of the Black Panther Party and quickly became leaders of the movement. Ericka Huggins (née Jenkins; born January 5, 1948) is an American activist and educator. In 1969, members of the New Haven Black Panthers tortured and murdered Alex Rackley, whom they suspected of being an informant. During my time at Shanti Project and later Aids Project of Contra Costa County, I helped develop citywide programs for the support of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender and questioning youth and adults with HIV/AIDS. I soon became a leader in the Los Angeles chapter of the Black Panther Party with my husband John Huggins. Three weeks after the birth of their daughter, on January 17, 1969, her comrade, Alprentice “Bunchy Carter” and John Huggins, her best friend and father of her daughter, was killed. Ericka Huggins. In May 1969, Bobby Seale and I were targeted and arrested on conspiracy charges sparking “Free Bobby, Free Ericka” rallies across the country. Ericka gave birth to their daughter, Mai Huggins, at the age of 20. Shortly after my 21st birthday my dearest friend, my husband, John Huggins, was murdered. Ericka Huggins. In May 1971 I began two years of incarceration awaiting trial on Conspiracy charges. In the BPP, Ericka Huggins served in many capacities, including working as editor of the BPP newspaper, the Black Panther, also known as the Black Panther Intercommunal News Service. In 1966, Ericka completing her school days at a high school in Washington DC, Ericka got enrolled in Cheyney State College, though later she moved to Lincoln University to complete her collegiate, and there she met her future husband from Vietnam, John Huggins, who attained the Master’s degree in Sociology. She was also widowed, at 19, when her husband was assassinated on the UCLA campus in 1969 by members of the US Organization, who were likely spurred on by an FBI agenda to fuel rivalry between US and the Black Panther Party (BPP). I doubt she's recognized much now, but Ericka Huggins spent a few years being infamous. Huggins later joined the Los Angeles chapter of the Black Panther Party in 1968 with her husband, John. In addition, I am available as a keynote or guest speaker through The Institute for Democratic Education and Culture, Speak Out Now. Two Interviews with Ericka Huggins Ericka Huggins The first part of the interview was conducted by Tony Piatt on the UC Berkeley campus on November 19, 2013, in the context of the seminar featured in this issue. Elbert "Big Man" Howard (right), Black Panther Deputy Minister of Information, comforts Huggins. Currently, I am one of the facilitators with World Trust. She was at home with their three-week-old daughter when she first heard about the killings. You know you don t have any evidence. Huggins is a Professor of Sociology at Laney College in Oakland and at Berkeley City College. Two Interviews with Ericka Huggins Ericka Huggins The first part of the interview was conducted by Tony Piatt on the UC Berkeley campus on November 19, 2013, in the context of the seminar featured in this issue. Born Ericka Jenkins in Washington, D.C., Huggins was the middle child of three. Ericka Huggins, a human rights activist, poet, educator, Black Panther leader, and former political prisoner, will present this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation from 12 to 12:50 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, virtually this year as students return to campus for the spring semester. After returning to New Haven, Connecticut to be with John’s family, I was invited by community members and Yale University students to open a party chapter there. From that time I’ve incorporated spiritual practice into my community work, as a speaker and facilitator, teaching as a tool for change - not only for myself, but for all people, not matter their age, race, gender, sexuality or culture.As a lifelong writer, upon my release from prison in 1971, I became writer and editor for the Black Panther Intercommunal News Service. Huggins is a former leading member of the Black Panther Party. I have continued this work with adults and, in addition, I have continues this work in homes for foster and adopted children and teens. https://bayradical.blogspot.com/2007/07/ericka-huggins.html She moved to California in 1972 & became an elected member of the Berkeley Community Development Council. In May 1971 I began two years of incarceration awaiting trial on Conspiracy charges.