(RNS) — In “Black Panther Woman,” Mary Frances Phillips has written the first biography of Black Panther Party member Ericka Huggins, who is now 77 and living in California. The book, published by NYU Press, explores how Huggins’ spirituality influenced her activism, focusing on her time in prison, where she discovered yoga, meditation and other spiritual wellness practices.
In 1969, Huggins and other group members were arrested and sent to Niantic women’s prison in Connecticut in connection with the murder of Alex Rackley, who had been accused of being an FBI informant. Huggins’ voice could be heard on the audiotape of Rackley’s torture by other Black Panther Party members. A judge dismissed the case against her in 1971 after a trial resulted in a hung jury.
The idea to write this book came from Phillips’ desire to understand what happened to Huggins during these two years in prison. “I was fascinated with what happened behind those bars. What did she do? What did that Black Panther Party activism look like behind bars?” Phillips said in an interview with RNS.
In her own words, Huggins reached a state of “spiritual maturity” in prison, which informed all areas of her life.
“Her spiritual lens shapes all her experience,” Phillips said. “Ericka is not religious, per se, but she’s very much deeply spiritual.”
“Black Panther Woman: The Political and Spiritual Life of Ericka Huggins” by Mary Frances Phillips. …