Full Name
Ericka Huggins (née Jenkins)[3]
Date of Birth
January 5, 1948[3]
Place of Birth
Washington, D.C., U.S.[3]
Education
Huggins attended Cheyney State College (now Cheyney University of Pennsylvania) and Lincoln University[3]. She holds a master’s degree in Sociology[8].
Spouses Names
John Huggins (m. 1968; died 1969)[3]
Partners Names
James Mott (1971–1972), Lisbet Tellefsen (2006 - present)[3]
Children Names
Mai Huggins[3]
Known Affiliates Names
Alprentice “Bunchy” Carter, Bobby Seale (co-founder and national chairman of the Black Panther Party), Kathleen Cleaver, Elaine Brown[1][9]
Affiliated Organizations’ Names
Ericka Huggins was a leading member of the Black Panther Party (BPP)[3]. She was the Director of the Black Panther Party’s Oakland Community School from 1973-1981[8]. She also worked as a professor of sociology and African American studies in the Peralta Community College District[7].
Activist Work
Ericka Huggins began her political activism in 1963[4]. She joined the Black Panther Party in 1967 and quickly became a leader within the party’s Los Angeles chapter[6]. After her husband’s assassination in 1969, she led the Black Panther Party chapter in New Haven, Connecticut[8]. In May 1969, Huggins and Bobby Seale were arrested on conspiracy charges, sparking “Free Bobby, Free Ericka” rallies across the country[1][5].
Huggins was a political prisoner for two years, during which she taught herself meditation and yoga[9]. After her release in 1971, she returned to California state, county, and federal prisons and jails to share her experiences of yoga and meditation[5]. She has also worked with incarcerated youth and taught in homes for foster and adopted children and pregnant teens[1][5].
In addition to her work with the Black Panther Party, Huggins has been a human rights activist, poet, and educator[1]. She has lectured across the country and internationally on issues relating to children and youth, restorative justice, whole being education, and the role of spiritual practice in sustaining activism and promoting social change[2]. She has also championed programs for minority and marginalized populations[11].
Citations: [1] https://www.erickahuggins.com/bio [2] https://www.erickahuggins.com [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ericka_Huggins [4] https://www.middlebury.edu/institute/people/ericka-huggins [5] https://www.speakoutnow.org/speakers/ericka-huggins [6] https://digitalassets.lib.berkeley.edu/roho/ucb/text/huggins_ericka.pdf [7] https://archives.yale.edu/agents/people/81930 [8] https://www.loc.gov/item/2016655435/ [9] https://www.blackwomenradicals.com/blog-feed/ericka-huggins [10] https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/individuals/ericka-huggins [11] http://shemadehistory.com/her-story-ericka-huggins/