Look for Me in the Whirlwind: From the Panther 21 to 21st-Century Revolutions

Description

Amid music festivals and moon landings, the tumultuous year of 1969 included an infamous case in the annals of criminal justice and Black liberation: the New York City Black Panther 21. Though some among the group had hardly even met one another, the 21 were rounded up by the FBI and New York Police Department in an attempt to disrupt and destroy the organization that was attracting young people around the world. Involving charges of conspiracy to commit violent acts, the Panther 21 trial-the longest and most expensive in New York history-revealed the illegal government activities which led to exile, imprisonment on false charges, and assassination of Black liberation leaders. Solidarity for the 21 also extended well beyond "movement" circles and included mainstream publication of their collective autobiography, Look for Me in the Whirlwind, which is reprinted here for the first time. Look for Me in the Whirlwind: From the Panther 21 to 21st-Century Revolutions contains the entire original manuscript, and includes new commentary from surviving members of the 21: Sekou Odinga, Dhoruba Bin Wahad, Jamal Joseph, and Shaba Om. Still-imprisoned Sundiata Acoli, Imam Jamil Al-Amin, and Mumia Abu-Jamal contribute new essays. Never or rarely seen poetry and prose from Afeni Shakur, Kuwasi Balagoon, Ali Bey Hassan, and Michael "Cetewayo" Tabor is included. Early Panther leader and jazz master Bilal Sunni-Ali adds a historical essay and lyrics from his composition "Look for Me in the Whirlwind," and coeditors kioni-sadiki, Meyer, and Panther rank-and-file member Cyril "Bullwhip" Innis Jr. help bring the story up to date. At a moment when the Movement for Black Lives recites the affirmation that "it is our duty to win," penned by Black Liberation Army (BLA) militant Assata Shakur, those who made up the BLA and worked alongside of Assata are largely unknown. This book-with archival photos from David Fenton, Stephen Shames, and the private collections of the authors- provides essential parts of a hidden and missing-in-action history. Going well beyond the familiar and mythologized nostalgic Panther narrative, From the Panther 21 to 21st-Century Revolutions explains how and why the Panther legacy is still relevant and vital today.

Mumia Abu-Jamal is probably the best-known political prisoner in the Western world and author of Live from Death Row. Imam Jamil Al-Amin, also known as H. Rap Brown, is known for his autobiography, Die Nigger Die!. Living in both Ghana and the U.S., Dhoruba Bin Wahad writes and promotes Pan Africanism. Jamal Joseph is a writer, director, producer, poet, activist, and educator. Dequi Kioni-Sadiki is a radio producer, and educator. Matt Meyer is an NYC based educator, organizer and author. Sekou Odinga was a founding member of the New York chapter of the Black Panther Party."

"Listen to these voices of young men and women--from places like New Jersey or Panama, New York or Antigua--who poured their insights, courage, and creative energy into New York City's fledgling Black Panther Party that generated chapters in all five boroughs. Unlike out west, where police shot and killed Panthers to disrupt the revolutionary group, New York relied more heavily on courts, jails, and prison to sabotage the organization. This reprint edition allows a new generation to hear these amazing stories, and additionally, to read the authors' reflections and insights for today." --Kathleen Cleaver, Black Panther Party Communications Secretary (1967-1971); Senior Lecturer, Emory University School of Law "Look for Me in the Whirlwind could not come at a timelier moment in history. As newly-emerging grassroots movements challenge state violence against Black people in the U.S., it is essential that new generations learn anew, and that older ones are reminded, of police and FBI tools of repression deployed to demobilize Black radical activism and its growing influence on the Black working class in the '60s. These remembrances, by those framed in the NY Panther 21 case, are vital building blocks for reconstructing the history of one of the least understood chapters of the Black Panther Party. They are also indispensable reading for those seeking to understand how individual activists and their movements were able to hold their center in the face of harrowing government repression." --Johanna Fernandez, Professor of History, Baruch College Department of Black and Latino Studies, City University of New York; cocurator, !Presente! The Young Lords in New York