Ericka Huggins

Brief‍

     Huggins (1948) is an educator, writer, and human rights and community activist. She led the Black Panther Party for 14 years—the longest leadership tenure of any woman in the organization—and helped establish innovative community education models in Oakland, California. Huggins' activism was ignited when at 15 years old she trekked solo to the attend the 1963 March on Washington. When Lena Horne pierced the air singing two syllables—'FREE-DOM'—she vowed that she would serve people for the rest of her life.¹

     While attending Lincoln University she met John Huggins. It was there that they were both deeply moved by a Ramparts magazine photo of a wounded Huey Newton shackled to his hospital bed and they decided to drive from the East Coast to Los Angeles to attend a Free Huey rally. A month later, in November 1967, they joined the Los Angeles chapter of the Black Panther Party.² She and John later married.  Three weeks after the birth of their daughter Mai, John was killed alongside his comrade Alprentice "Bunchy" Carter in January 1969 on the campus of UCLA. Following his death, she moved to New Haven, Connecticut, to help establish a new Party chapter which she led with Kathleen Cleaver and Elaine Brown.³

     In 1969, she and Bobby Seale were among those arrested in what became known as the New Haven Nine case. She spent two years in pretrial detention, including time in solitary confinement, during which time a national "Free Ericka" campaign brought widespread attention to her case. In 1971, after a deadlocked jury (10-2 in favor of acquittal), her judge, Harold H. Mulvey, dismiss all against Huggins and Seale and said and  "I find it impossible to believe that an unbiased jury could be selected without superhuman efforts -- efforts which this court, the state and these defendants should not be called upon either to make or to endure."⁴ Following her release, Huggins moved to Oakland, where she became Director of the Oakland Community School (1973-1981), a community-led and organized elementary school and child development center founded by the Black Panther Party.⁵

     Under her leadership, the school earned recognition for its innovative curriculum, which combined traditional academics with social responsibility, critical thinking, and community engagement. The school provided students with comprehensive services including healthcare, nutrition, and family support programs. This pioneering educational model influenced progressive education practices and community-based learning approaches across the United States.

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Resources

     Ericka Huggins' Official Website