Mary Frances Phillips — Black Panther Woman: The Political and Spiritual Life of Ericka Huggins - with Quito Swan

In this groundbreaking biography, Mary Frances Phillips immerses readers in the life and legacy of Ericka Huggins, a revered Black Panther Party member, as well as a mother, widow, educator, poet, and former political prisoner. In 1969, the police arrested Ericka Huggins along with Bobby Seale and fellow Black Panther Party members, who were accused of murdering Alex Rackley. This marked the beginning of her ordeal, as she became the subject of political persecution and a well-planned FBI COINTELPRO plot.Drawing on never-before-seen archival sources, including prison records, unpublished letters, photographs, FBI records, and oral histories, Phillips foregrounds the paramount role of self-care and community care in Huggins's political journey, shedding light on Ericka's use of spiritual wellness practices she developed during her incarceration. In prison, Huggins was able to survive the repression and terror she faced while navigating motherhood through her unwavering commitment to spiritual practices. In showcasing this history, Phillips reveals the significance of spiritual wellness in the Black Panther Party and Black Power movement.Transcending the traditional male-centric study of the Black Panther Party, Black Panther Woman offers an innovative analysis of Black political life at the intersections of gender, motherhood, and mass incarceration. This book serves as an invaluable toolkit for contemporary activists, underscoring the power of radical acts of care as well as vital strategies to thrive in the world.PURCHASE BOOK HERE: https://politics-prose.com/book/9781479802937?ic_referral=RlY5ShshytcdedzNyZAVsUMiex-tha8_--wSuFGPV4kwM_BKZswvr_O8Pv9TKvfk7W3O5p-x8uvl-vAwdBBr5QvvtI3c9ffQg79EZBWpYW12BXaVub146OZ5QzYOapWcB9HRKAMary Frances Phillips is an Associate Professor of African American Studies Studies at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Phillips is in conversation with Quito J. Swan. Swan is Professor of History and Director of Africana Studies at George Washington University. A scholar of Black Power and the African Diaspora, he has authored a number of books on Black internationalism, the latest being Born a Sufferah: Dancehall Music’s Insurgent Soundscapes (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2025). His Pasifika Black: Oceania, Anti-Colonialism and the African World (NYU Press) received the Association for the Study of African American Life and History's 2023 Best Book in African American History Award. His Pauulu’s Diaspora: Black Internationalism and Environmental Justice (University Press of Florida) won the AAIHS 2022 Pauli Murray Book Prize. Swan has garnered fellowships from prestigious institutions such as the National Endowment for the Humanities, Harvard University’s Radcliffe Institute, and Australia’s University of Queensland. His writings have appeared in the Radical History Review, the Journal of Civil and Human Rights, the Journal of African American History and the International Journal of Africana Studies.*recorded 2/22/2025