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The War Before: The True Life Story of Becoming a Black Panther, Keeping the Faith in Prison, and Fighting for Those Left Behind
An inspiring memoir from a legendary activist and political prisoner that “reminds us of the sheer joy that comes from resisting civic wrongs” ( Truthout ).
In 1968, Safiya Bukhari witnessed an NYPD officer harassing a Black Panther for selling the organization’s newspaper on a Harlem street corner. The young pre-med student felt compelled to intervene in defense of the Panther’s First Amendment right; she ended up handcuffed and thrown into the back of a police car.
The War Before traces Bukhari’s lifelong commitment as an advocate for the rights of the oppressed. Following her journey from middle-class student to Black Panther to political prisoner, these writings provide an intimate view of a woman wrestling with the issues of her time—the troubled legacy of the Panthers, misogyny in the movement, her decision to convert to Islam, the incarceration of outspoken radicals, and the families left behind. Her account unfolds with immediacy and passion, showing how the struggles of social justice movements of the past have paved the way for the progress—and continued struggle—of today.
With a preface by Bukhari’s daughter, Wonda Jones, a forward by Angela Y. Davis, and edited by Laura Whitehorn, The War Before is a riveting look at the making of an activist and the legacy she left behind.
In 1968, Safiya Bukhari witnessed an NYPD officer harassing a Black Panther for selling the organization’s newspaper on a Harlem street corner. The young pre-med student felt compelled to intervene in defense of the Panther’s First Amendment right; she ended up handcuffed and thrown into the back of a police car.
The War Before traces Bukhari’s lifelong commitment as an advocate for the rights of the oppressed. Following her journey from middle-class student to Black Panther to political prisoner, these writings provide an intimate view of a woman wrestling with the issues of her time—the troubled legacy of the Panthers, misogyny in the movement, her decision to convert to Islam, the incarceration of outspoken radicals, and the families left behind. Her account unfolds with immediacy and passion, showing how the struggles of social justice movements of the past have paved the way for the progress—and continued struggle—of today.
With a preface by Bukhari’s daughter, Wonda Jones, a forward by Angela Y. Davis, and edited by Laura Whitehorn, The War Before is a riveting look at the making of an activist and the legacy she left behind.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
43 people are currently reading
1172 people want to read
About the author
Safiya Bukhari
2 books4 followersSafiya Bukhari was an American political prisoner and member of the Black Panther Party. She was also the co-founder of the Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC), the Jericho Movement for U.S. Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War, and was the vice president of the Republic of New Afrika.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 29, 2024
Yet another radical history in the United States they won’t teach you in school. Safiya Bukhari lived a revolutionary life in an attempt to make the world better for her people, and despite attacks by police, the FBI, the whole United States government, despite a long prison sentence and an attempt to kill her through medical malpractice and solitary confinement, despite an entire media and literature that wants to rewrite and re-frame the history of the Black Panthers, she continued her fight until her final days.
There is too much to cover here in a Goodreads review, but the whole book is fascinating. It starts with Safiya telling her story of joining the Black Panthers after the police continuously brutalized and assaulted and killed black people with complete immunity from consequence. She recounts all the ways COINTELPRO’s counterinsurgency wreaked havoc on the party and ultimately cost them many lives (through death or prison). She goes on to talk about how she was able to get out of prison and advocate for political prisoners and continue to be a revolutionary even without the Black Panthers. It’s a good reminder that whenever the United States has something to say about morality or justice, it has absolutely no leg to stand on. The U.S. claims not to have political prisoners. It claims that it believes in freedom of speech. Read this book to get the real story.
Also there was a part of this book that felt like a villain origin story. Safiya was invited to a debate about granting amnesty to U.S. political prisoners and on the other side of the debate were none other than Peter Thiel and Ted Cruz. Served as a good reminder that these tools have always been tools, and that if you ever doubt yourself or your own ability, you are more qualified to do literally anything than these guys are. Safiya and her team destroyed them with FACTS and LOGIC.
Anyway, it is a great book and inspiring. Read it. This is a book the powers at be don’t want you to read.
TL;DR: ACAB
There is too much to cover here in a Goodreads review, but the whole book is fascinating. It starts with Safiya telling her story of joining the Black Panthers after the police continuously brutalized and assaulted and killed black people with complete immunity from consequence. She recounts all the ways COINTELPRO’s counterinsurgency wreaked havoc on the party and ultimately cost them many lives (through death or prison). She goes on to talk about how she was able to get out of prison and advocate for political prisoners and continue to be a revolutionary even without the Black Panthers. It’s a good reminder that whenever the United States has something to say about morality or justice, it has absolutely no leg to stand on. The U.S. claims not to have political prisoners. It claims that it believes in freedom of speech. Read this book to get the real story.
Also there was a part of this book that felt like a villain origin story. Safiya was invited to a debate about granting amnesty to U.S. political prisoners and on the other side of the debate were none other than Peter Thiel and Ted Cruz. Served as a good reminder that these tools have always been tools, and that if you ever doubt yourself or your own ability, you are more qualified to do literally anything than these guys are. Safiya and her team destroyed them with FACTS and LOGIC.
Anyway, it is a great book and inspiring. Read it. This is a book the powers at be don’t want you to read.
TL;DR: ACAB
February 7, 2021
Some of us may think of racism and its harms in abstract terms. We know that sometimes, somewhere, somewhen, there exists wrongful discrimination, wrongful convictions, and at worst, wrongful executions. The War Before crystallizes that harm in a collection of essays, interviews, and speeches shared posthumously on behalf of Safiya Bukhari, a member of the Black Panther Party.
Because of COINTELPRO, the FBI program overseen by J. Edgar Hoover, the Black Panther Party can be particularly difficult to glean an accurate history of. In early 2020s America, we continue to see how dis- and mis-information are sown to discredit all sorts of political figures, stances, and processes. The War Before is an intense and personal firsthand account of belonging to the Party at both its height and demise. But it’s also a fascinating look into the efficacy of “repeating the lie.”
Safiya covers much ground. She talks about how viewing yourself as part of a community (vs. as a distinct individual) sustains work against injustice. She talks about how much of themselves members of the BPP sacrificed to the movement; their educations, their families, their health, and often life itself.
She talks about how white women universalized their experiences of sexism, while in the same breath decried sexism in the BPP as somehow uniquely pernicious. She makes interesting points about how just as the white working class has historically been pitted against impoverished people of color, so too have Black men and women been pitted against one another.
She talks about finding Islam and how it informed her political organizing. I always find it interesting to read about how spirituality fueled much of the Civil Rights Movement, whether it be through Christianity as with Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis, through Islam (in- and out- side of the Nation of Islam), or interfaith involvement by Unitarian Universalists.
One last takeaway that I found equal parts inspiring and tragic: how very young so many of our most dedicated activists are. Safiya talks about folks joining the cause at age 15, 16. This pattern replicates today in figures like Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, David Hogg, and perhaps most relevant here, Mari Copeny, aka “Little Miss Flint.”
If you’ve made it this far, I’d suggest this to people who liked When They Call You a Terrorist, Assata, or really any Angela Davis. On the other hand, it stands in stark contrast to something like Black Klansman or even the March graphic novels.
Because of COINTELPRO, the FBI program overseen by J. Edgar Hoover, the Black Panther Party can be particularly difficult to glean an accurate history of. In early 2020s America, we continue to see how dis- and mis-information are sown to discredit all sorts of political figures, stances, and processes. The War Before is an intense and personal firsthand account of belonging to the Party at both its height and demise. But it’s also a fascinating look into the efficacy of “repeating the lie.”
Safiya covers much ground. She talks about how viewing yourself as part of a community (vs. as a distinct individual) sustains work against injustice. She talks about how much of themselves members of the BPP sacrificed to the movement; their educations, their families, their health, and often life itself.
She talks about how white women universalized their experiences of sexism, while in the same breath decried sexism in the BPP as somehow uniquely pernicious. She makes interesting points about how just as the white working class has historically been pitted against impoverished people of color, so too have Black men and women been pitted against one another.
She talks about finding Islam and how it informed her political organizing. I always find it interesting to read about how spirituality fueled much of the Civil Rights Movement, whether it be through Christianity as with Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis, through Islam (in- and out- side of the Nation of Islam), or interfaith involvement by Unitarian Universalists.
One last takeaway that I found equal parts inspiring and tragic: how very young so many of our most dedicated activists are. Safiya talks about folks joining the cause at age 15, 16. This pattern replicates today in figures like Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, David Hogg, and perhaps most relevant here, Mari Copeny, aka “Little Miss Flint.”
If you’ve made it this far, I’d suggest this to people who liked When They Call You a Terrorist, Assata, or really any Angela Davis. On the other hand, it stands in stark contrast to something like Black Klansman or even the March graphic novels.
November 24, 2012
If there was one book that changed my life, it is this. I was lost in my life the mid-2000s, and had lived until then for my own personal gains. Reading this book and learning what really happened to the freedom fighters, and Safiya's lifelong fight for those left behind, I was violently shook awaken. It was from then, that I began to fight the system, regardless of who I was going against. I have fought a battle with the Japanese Ministry of Justice for close to 8 years now, as well as various administrative tyrants that I have encountered in everyday life. If it wasn't for Safiya, I would not be in university right now, applying to a JD / PhD program next year. If it wasn't for Safiya, I would have been dead by now due to drug use, homicide, or suicide. I owe what I have to Safiya, and what she left, the fight where we have picked up to continue.
Thank you Safiya. You are my savior.
PS:
My pen name is from a quote of Safiya, from an essay in this book.
"We seem to have forgotten everything we ever learned about revolution: that it's about the people. It's about making qualitative and quantitative changes in the conditions of our people."
--- Safiya Bukhari
Delta = Change
Q = Qualitative
Q = Quantitative
Delta Q x Q = Delta Q Squared
Thank you Safiya. You are my savior.
PS:
My pen name is from a quote of Safiya, from an essay in this book.
"We seem to have forgotten everything we ever learned about revolution: that it's about the people. It's about making qualitative and quantitative changes in the conditions of our people."
--- Safiya Bukhari
Delta = Change
Q = Qualitative
Q = Quantitative
Delta Q x Q = Delta Q Squared
August 3, 2024
Phenomenal kickoff to my Black August reading list! Safiya Bukhari's writings give us a crucial look inside the life of a revolutionary, both above and underground. Of course, in my recent readings of Joy James' Captive Maternal, tracing Bukhari's life all the way through maroon camp and war resistance is nothing short of inspiring. One of the things that really struck me was the discipline she and other Panthers had in ideological and practical training. She opens with the Greek mythological labyrinth of Minos, schools Ted Cruz on colonialism in Puerto Rican (I will never recover from knowing that Ted Cruz was even allowed to share a forum with her), rattles off quotes from Che Guevara, Ho Chi Minh and Mao, and studies (international) law to inform her own struggle for freedom. But she also does a great service to many of her fellow Panthers and comrades in bringing their cases to light - Kamau Sadiki, Albert Nuh Washington, Assata Shakur, Jalil Muntaqin, Mumia, and so many others (all mentioned by name and with detailed descriptions of their stories) are given prominence.
Bukhari, in recounting her experiences as a Panther and, later, as a political prisoner, asks that we don't romanticize those who came before us if we're not willing to fight for those who are still incarcerated. In her writing, she's referring to the likes of John Brown, Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells - those who fought for their liberation and the liberation of those around them, by any means necessary. It's a useful reminder even in our own time, as it's easy to say "Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X were freedom fighters" while saying (no less doing) nothing about political prisoners like Mumia Abu Jamal, Leonard Peltier, the Pendleton 2, and many others who are still in need of being liberated. What's our plan to get them out? Just as it's easy to romanticize freedom fighters of the past, it's easier to acknowledge the crimes of our government after sufficient time has passed. It's why movies like Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon were box office hits but Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest, clear commentary on the current genocide unfolding in Gaza, was not. She reminds us that COINTELPRO is not dead. The FBI has lists, they have names, and they are ready to pounce as needed (remember when Obama raised the bounty on Assata's head to $2 million in 2013?). Kamau Sadiki is also a great reminder that yesterday's government's crimes do not exist in a vacuum.
How we connect past struggles, past injustices, and past movements to today's struggles for freedom and revolution will depend on our willingness to discipline, study, and organize. Bukhari's life and her writings provide us with a great roadmap.
Bukhari, in recounting her experiences as a Panther and, later, as a political prisoner, asks that we don't romanticize those who came before us if we're not willing to fight for those who are still incarcerated. In her writing, she's referring to the likes of John Brown, Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells - those who fought for their liberation and the liberation of those around them, by any means necessary. It's a useful reminder even in our own time, as it's easy to say "Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X were freedom fighters" while saying (no less doing) nothing about political prisoners like Mumia Abu Jamal, Leonard Peltier, the Pendleton 2, and many others who are still in need of being liberated. What's our plan to get them out? Just as it's easy to romanticize freedom fighters of the past, it's easier to acknowledge the crimes of our government after sufficient time has passed. It's why movies like Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon were box office hits but Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest, clear commentary on the current genocide unfolding in Gaza, was not. She reminds us that COINTELPRO is not dead. The FBI has lists, they have names, and they are ready to pounce as needed (remember when Obama raised the bounty on Assata's head to $2 million in 2013?). Kamau Sadiki is also a great reminder that yesterday's government's crimes do not exist in a vacuum.
How we connect past struggles, past injustices, and past movements to today's struggles for freedom and revolution will depend on our willingness to discipline, study, and organize. Bukhari's life and her writings provide us with a great roadmap.
August 18, 2022
The writings we have from those who actually did the on the ground work as members of the Black Panthers and other revolutionary movements during the upheavals of the 60s and 70s are truly invaluable to revolutionaries today. Safiya Bukhari's work is no exception. Her fights against all forms of oppression, her dedication to seeing political prisoners freed, are an inspiration and an example to us all. Lots of valuable lessons in this short, very readable collection.
January 10, 2025
there's a saying in the Palestinian struggle, "prisoners are the compass of our struggle". this book is what allowed me to fully understand the meaning of this phrase. political work is not for the feint of heart. this was the central theme outlined to me in this book. Safiya Bukhari was a member of the BPP, a revolutionary, a political prisoner and co-founder of the Jericho Movement. she took up political work in a time of domestic war. the conditions of the time, war on the Black community, necessitated the struggle waged by the Black Panther Party. to operate in the BPP meant putting a literal target on your back. so many were assassinated and so many remain in prison. once imprisoned, Safiya, like many other political prisoners, was subject to medical neglect and cruel punishment by the state. here is where she converted to Islam, how she truly steeled her spirit and transformed. submitting the will, sacrificing personal desires, putting Allah first, serving the revolution. and resisting the state's war on our movement and on our revolutionaries.
"Islam and Revolution" Is Not a Contradiction 🤌🏽
what it means to actually internalize principles. creating a new being, an internal revolution. unity means we have to struggle with others to resolve the contradictions. to actually think does this help or hurt the organization/party, the movement? we will make mistakes. how do we correct them and move forward? we're going up against a highly organized, militarized force. we have to build a strong foundation. ~ what Safiya taught me
"Islam and Revolution" Is Not a Contradiction 🤌🏽
what it means to actually internalize principles. creating a new being, an internal revolution. unity means we have to struggle with others to resolve the contradictions. to actually think does this help or hurt the organization/party, the movement? we will make mistakes. how do we correct them and move forward? we're going up against a highly organized, militarized force. we have to build a strong foundation. ~ what Safiya taught me
February 8, 2010
I was lucky enough to read a copy of this book before its official release. Not knowing anything substantial concerning the Black Panther Party, I was glad that Safiya Bukhari's writings about her role in the party -and her overall fight for black liberation and justice - were the first that I had read regarding the topic. A very active member in a time that was still difficult for women to be political and be taken seriously, Bukhari was diligent about being involved in many of the community programs started by the Black Panther Party and held many posts within the Party, including being in charge of the national committees for the defense of political prisoners within the Party; this would later comprise a bulk of her life's work -activism for political prisoners- as she herself was one. However, Bukhari's writings extend beyond the party and showcase a complex, contradictory and very human woman living amidst a world that is often unjust. The War Before is a very enlightening and thought-provoking read.
July 19, 2010
i miss safiya like mad, and her life is always an inspiration to me. i'm so grateful to laura for putting this book together, for letting us have some insight into safiya's life, thoughts, experience and wisdom.
September 20, 2011
Wonderful, thought-provoking words! Am giving this 4 stars instead of 5 simply because I disagree with a few statements the author made in regards to homosexuality, and about Islam. I would give it 4.95 stars if I could.
May 14, 2017
I respect her persistence and commitment to justice. The book itself felt largely redundant, though, and the editing seemed haphazard. While I appreciated the insider's perspective on the Black Panthers, my favorite was the PBS debate included near the end of the book.
September 22, 2023
The War Before: The True Life Story of Becoming a Black Panther, Keeping the Faith in Prison and Fighting for Those Left Behind is a collection of interviews, speeches, pamphlets and essays written by late Black Panther Party activist Safiya Bukhari. With an introduction by Laura Whitehorn, a foreword by Angela Y. Davis and an afterword by Mumia Abu-Jamal, this is a well-produced book that serves to explain all the topics to novices such as myself while tackling some of the greatest issues faced by Black Power and revolutionary movements in the 1960s and 1970s.
Safiya Bukhari began her life as Bernice Jones. She had a middle-class, Christian upbringing and was expected to become a professional like her siblings. Bernice’s parents had taught their children higher education would bring them success in the world. Bernice decided to become a doctor and began studying premed at the New York City Community College in Brooklyn in 1968. She joined the only integrated sorority Eta Alpha Mu and began to seek ways to do volunteer work. It was Bernice that convinced her sorority sisters to concentrate their efforts in the local community rather than focusing on children abroad.
Along with her sorority sisters Yvonne and Wonda, Bernice volunteered at the Free Breakfasts for Children Program. This was a program organised by the Black Panther Party in the local communities to ensure that children did not go to school without breakfast. It was during one her her visits into the community that she saw police harassing a Black Panther member selling newspapers. She stood up for him and was thrown against a police car and arrested.
Her treatment during this process was inhumane and degrading to such an extent that she went straight home to tell her parents about the incident. She told her parents that she felt she had to stand up against such police brutality and her parents gave her their blessing, telling her to do what she thought was right. She went straight back to Harlem and joined the Black Panther Party*.
During her time in the Black Panther Party, Bernice became a Muslim and adopted the name Safiya Bukhari. She was arrested at the scene of a grocery store shooting in Norfolk, Virginia and charged with robbery and felony murder. Sentenced to forty years, she served nine years, much of it in solitary confinement.
On release from prison, Safiya became involved in fighting for the rights of political prisoners in the US and she campaigned on behalf of political prisoners right up until her death in 2003.
The works that make up The War Before were written from 1979 to 2002. They cover the experiences that lead to Safiya becoming an activist and member of the Black Panther Party and cover such issues as safety and security of Black people and party members; sexism within the party; Islam and activism; the plight of political prisoners in the US and finally, COINTELPRO and the efforts of the FBI to undermine the Black Power movement.
The book is fascinating and an eye opener. It is important to see the actions and beliefs of the Black Panther Party in the context of the late 1960s and 1970s where civil liberties were not guaranteed and Black people were often subjected to racism, prejudice and police brutality. That is not to say that such factors do not exist today but the Black Panther Party does not and hence a historical perspective is needed.
It is incredible to see the lengths the FBI went to in their counter-intelligence program and to learn of such events as the Church Committee which aimed to “expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, or otherwise neutralize” civil rights and other dissident political organisations. Documents opened by the Church Committee showed that the FBI achieved this by manufacturing and manipulating evidence and framing people. So it was that the Black Panther Party moved from community based projects to primarily defending court actions against its members, many of whom had been framed or manipulated.
The book raised as many questions for me as it answered and has certainly made me want to learn more about that period and the gains and losses of the civil rights and liberties movements.
The one thing the book does not offer is an objective perspective of the actions of the Black Panther Party or an acknowledgement of illegal acts or acts of sabotage that were committed by Safiya or people known to her. Organisations such the African National Congress in South Africa and Sinn Féin in Ireland have acknowledged the actions they took in order to fight for their respective causes. I imagine that in an atmosphere without the possibility of amnesty, where political prisoners remain behind bars or on death row, such a candid attitude may not have been possible and certainly not in Safiya’s lifetime.
The other factor which seemed to be missing from the introduction, foreword and afterword was an attempt to establish the book in the context of the current political context where an African American man is now president of the United States of America. Certainly, the struggle for better conditions, education, health care and freedom from prejudice, brutality and discrimination has not been won but I believe the book would have benefitted somewhat by an explicit attempt to make it relevant and significant today. While the plight of political prisoners certainly continues, it would have been interesting to read whether there were expectations now that the current administration would impact on any of the issues raised in the book.
Despite the questions left unanswered, I would recommend this book to those interested in history, social justice and civil liberties. While Safiya Bukhari was astounding at times in her insight and understanding, the essays and speeches in this collection are easy to follow for even the most uninitiated reader. I would go so far as to say that this is an important book and I do see the relevance of such a book in the political climate of today.
* The Black Panther Party was originally named Black Panther Party for Self-Defense and was initially started to help the community protect themselves from police brutality. The party was founded in 1966 and was a black consciousness movement. In addition to the Free Breakfasts for Children Program, the Black Panther Party served the community by providing free medical clinics, arranging for testing of sickle-cell disease, holding classes on economics and politics, giving lessons on self-defense and providing drug and alcohol rehabilitation. Divisions within the party and a campaign of infiltration and disruption on the part of the FBI’s counter intelligence program (COINTELPRO) eventually lead to the demise of the Black Panther Party in the mid-1970s.
Safiya Bukhari began her life as Bernice Jones. She had a middle-class, Christian upbringing and was expected to become a professional like her siblings. Bernice’s parents had taught their children higher education would bring them success in the world. Bernice decided to become a doctor and began studying premed at the New York City Community College in Brooklyn in 1968. She joined the only integrated sorority Eta Alpha Mu and began to seek ways to do volunteer work. It was Bernice that convinced her sorority sisters to concentrate their efforts in the local community rather than focusing on children abroad.
Along with her sorority sisters Yvonne and Wonda, Bernice volunteered at the Free Breakfasts for Children Program. This was a program organised by the Black Panther Party in the local communities to ensure that children did not go to school without breakfast. It was during one her her visits into the community that she saw police harassing a Black Panther member selling newspapers. She stood up for him and was thrown against a police car and arrested.
Her treatment during this process was inhumane and degrading to such an extent that she went straight home to tell her parents about the incident. She told her parents that she felt she had to stand up against such police brutality and her parents gave her their blessing, telling her to do what she thought was right. She went straight back to Harlem and joined the Black Panther Party*.
During her time in the Black Panther Party, Bernice became a Muslim and adopted the name Safiya Bukhari. She was arrested at the scene of a grocery store shooting in Norfolk, Virginia and charged with robbery and felony murder. Sentenced to forty years, she served nine years, much of it in solitary confinement.
On release from prison, Safiya became involved in fighting for the rights of political prisoners in the US and she campaigned on behalf of political prisoners right up until her death in 2003.
The works that make up The War Before were written from 1979 to 2002. They cover the experiences that lead to Safiya becoming an activist and member of the Black Panther Party and cover such issues as safety and security of Black people and party members; sexism within the party; Islam and activism; the plight of political prisoners in the US and finally, COINTELPRO and the efforts of the FBI to undermine the Black Power movement.
The book is fascinating and an eye opener. It is important to see the actions and beliefs of the Black Panther Party in the context of the late 1960s and 1970s where civil liberties were not guaranteed and Black people were often subjected to racism, prejudice and police brutality. That is not to say that such factors do not exist today but the Black Panther Party does not and hence a historical perspective is needed.
It is incredible to see the lengths the FBI went to in their counter-intelligence program and to learn of such events as the Church Committee which aimed to “expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, or otherwise neutralize” civil rights and other dissident political organisations. Documents opened by the Church Committee showed that the FBI achieved this by manufacturing and manipulating evidence and framing people. So it was that the Black Panther Party moved from community based projects to primarily defending court actions against its members, many of whom had been framed or manipulated.
The book raised as many questions for me as it answered and has certainly made me want to learn more about that period and the gains and losses of the civil rights and liberties movements.
The one thing the book does not offer is an objective perspective of the actions of the Black Panther Party or an acknowledgement of illegal acts or acts of sabotage that were committed by Safiya or people known to her. Organisations such the African National Congress in South Africa and Sinn Féin in Ireland have acknowledged the actions they took in order to fight for their respective causes. I imagine that in an atmosphere without the possibility of amnesty, where political prisoners remain behind bars or on death row, such a candid attitude may not have been possible and certainly not in Safiya’s lifetime.
The other factor which seemed to be missing from the introduction, foreword and afterword was an attempt to establish the book in the context of the current political context where an African American man is now president of the United States of America. Certainly, the struggle for better conditions, education, health care and freedom from prejudice, brutality and discrimination has not been won but I believe the book would have benefitted somewhat by an explicit attempt to make it relevant and significant today. While the plight of political prisoners certainly continues, it would have been interesting to read whether there were expectations now that the current administration would impact on any of the issues raised in the book.
Despite the questions left unanswered, I would recommend this book to those interested in history, social justice and civil liberties. While Safiya Bukhari was astounding at times in her insight and understanding, the essays and speeches in this collection are easy to follow for even the most uninitiated reader. I would go so far as to say that this is an important book and I do see the relevance of such a book in the political climate of today.
* The Black Panther Party was originally named Black Panther Party for Self-Defense and was initially started to help the community protect themselves from police brutality. The party was founded in 1966 and was a black consciousness movement. In addition to the Free Breakfasts for Children Program, the Black Panther Party served the community by providing free medical clinics, arranging for testing of sickle-cell disease, holding classes on economics and politics, giving lessons on self-defense and providing drug and alcohol rehabilitation. Divisions within the party and a campaign of infiltration and disruption on the part of the FBI’s counter intelligence program (COINTELPRO) eventually lead to the demise of the Black Panther Party in the mid-1970s.
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August 6, 2025I read this for Black August. It humbled me. It feels impossible to give a book like this a low rating. It’s the kind of book everyone in Amerikkka should read because it exposes the rot at the core of the country. My favorite part of the book was the debate on political prisoners during which ancestor Bukhari and a few others debate Ted Cruz and Peter Thiel. They absolutely killed that debate. In order for a debate to be interesting, your opponent needs to be at the very least competent and somewhat compelling and, even though Cruz is way on the other side of the political spectrum, trying to zoom out and look at this more objectively, I think some of his arguments *would* appeal to mainstream white Amerikkka, like I can try to understand some of the rationale and then ancestor Bukhari and her team swoops in and just crushes the argument. By the end the winners of the debate are so clear to me and the team on the right is just repeating their same losing points over and over again without advancing and moving forward in their arguments.
Anyways, I’m humbled by the level of sacrifice. I have more thoughts that I’m working through about what it all means, but the most I’m ready to share is that I feel humbled.
Anyways, I’m humbled by the level of sacrifice. I have more thoughts that I’m working through about what it all means, but the most I’m ready to share is that I feel humbled.
September 28, 2022
I learned quite a lot about Bukhari from this book, probably more than what I learned about the Black Power Movement, The BPP, or the seemingly endless search for racial, social, economic, and political justice. But based on the title, that was most likely the point. An amazing woman's writings about her life and the fight for equal rights and opportunities for all people. I loved the honesty and the willingness of those involved in putting together this book to leave it unvarnished and authentic. No glossing over Bukhari's stance on any issue, no attempt to apologize for what some might say borders on exclusionary or antithetical to her message. In no way meant to be exhaustive, and fortunately we are given links to additional sources and complete writings, videos, and speeches that were abridged or not included here. Like most true warriors, Bukhari was almost anonymous to those outside the social justice movement, and hardly heralded even by those inside it while she was alive. Which was exactly as she would have wanted it to be. Every fight has those who just do what needs to be done and let others take the spotlight. Bukhari was one of those people and she is truly missed.
October 1, 2021
the difficult thing about this book is that (as suggested in the Afterword) Safiya, the subject, wrote most of the essays almost off-handedly in between her political work, which was her life. The book features essays also written while she was in prison and transcripts of interviews, debates, and an interrogation. she was not a writer though (they make that clear) she was a freedom fighter and from what you have here she was a huge fighter. i just feel that the collection only gets there in the beginning and the end with quite a slump in the middle, which focuses more on others she had worked with or some redundant information from previous chapters. i appreciate what is here but i do wish we got a more complete picture of Safiya because she held so many and so much but feels lost to so many of us.
December 31, 2020
This is the first book I’ve read about the history of the Black Panther Party and it was infuriating to read Safiya Bukhari’s writings about the lengths the state went to disrupt the Panthers’ organizing efforts and the many Black people that were killed or imprisoned by the state because of their affiliation with the Panthers. Some of these people are still political prisoners today.
April 6, 2024
read for ANWO meeting april 2024
safiya left behind great observations n notes on organizing. her knowledge affirms my belief that we must be abundantly clear in our intention, purpose, and mission. in the face of adversity we must double down on our beliefs, letting them hold us up.
also great notes on the failures of the BPP.
safiya left behind great observations n notes on organizing. her knowledge affirms my belief that we must be abundantly clear in our intention, purpose, and mission. in the face of adversity we must double down on our beliefs, letting them hold us up.
also great notes on the failures of the BPP.
January 2, 2021
This was great! This book gives insight into the life of a Black Panther & shows all of the ways that we delegitimized this movement. It’s given me a lot to think about & seems like it connects well into other Black Panther literature. I think the way the essays are structured is interesting & purposeful. 5/5 stars.
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