Ericka Huggins
| Ericka Huggins | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1951 |
| Known for | New Haven Black Panther trials |
| Spouse(s) | John Huggins (wid. 1970) |
| Partner(s) | James Mott |
| Children | 3 |
Ericka Huggins is an African-American activist, educator, former political prisoner and member of the Black Panther Party.
Family life
Ericka Huggins married John Huggins a former leader of the Los Angeles, California chapter of the Black Panther Party. Ericka gave birth to a daughter, Mai Huggins, at the age of 19.[1] Within 3 months of their daughter's birth, Ericka was widowed when John Huggins was killed on the UCLA campus. She has two other sons including one with James Mott, lead singer of the Black Panther singing group, The Lumpen.
Education
Ericka Huggins began her collegiate years at Lincoln University where she met her husband John Huggins. She holds a Masters degree in Sociology.
Career
In 1972, she moved to California and became an elected member of the Berkeley Community Development Council. She was the Director of the Black Panther Party's Oakland Community School from 1973-1981. Huggins is presently a Professor of Sociology at Laney College in Oakland and at Berkeley City College.[2] In addition, she has lectured at Stanford, Cornell, and UCLA.[2]
Black Panther Party
After joining the party in 1967, Ericka Huggins became a leader in the Los Angeles chapter and founded the Black Panther Party in New Haven, Connecticut at the time of The New Haven Black Panther trials. In an FBI-fueled rift between the Black Panther Party and rival black nationalist group US Organization her husband John Huggins was shot to death on January 17, 1969 in Campbell Hall on the UCLA campus.[3] She attended the burial of her husband in his birthplace of New Haven. During that time, she founded the New Haven chapter of the Black Panther Party.
New Haven Black Panther trials
In May 1969, a young Black Panther named Alex Rackley was accused of being an informant and was subsequently murdered. Though not participants, as leaders in the Black Panther Party, Bobby Seale and Ericka Huggins were charged with conspiracy in the murder. The trial sparked protests across the country about whether the Panthers would receive a fair trial and the jury selection would become the longest in state history. In May 1971 the jury deadlocked 10 to 2 for Huggins' acquittal, and she was not retried.[4]
The extent of police involvement in the incident was unveiled in 2007 when Kelly Moye revealed that he was a police informant recruited to infiltrate the Panthers by Nick Pastore, head of New Haven Police's Intelligence Division. Rackley was driven to his death in Moye's own car which he loaned on Pastore's authorization. [9] The police followed Moye's car as it left toward the murder destination yet would claim they lost the car only to discover Rackley's body the very next morning. This sad epilogue was detailed in a 2007 New Haven Register article "After 37 Years, Spy Comes In From Cold" by Paul Bass.
References
- ↑ "Former Black Panther Visits UK | UK College of Arts & Sciences". As.uky.edu. 2011-03-23. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "bio cont'd". Erickahuggins.com. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
- ↑ "Are We Better Off? | The Two Nations Of Black America | FRONTLINE". PBS. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
- ↑ Paul Bass; Douglas W. Rae (2006). Murder in the Model City: The Black Panthers, Yale, And the Redemption of a Killer. Basic Books. ISBN 9780465069026.
External links
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