Arts and Humanities editor, Jodi Heckel, of the IL News Bureau interviewed Dr. Mary Phillips about her new book, "Black Panther Woman: The Political and Spiritual Life of Ericka Huggins." An excerpt from the story (originally published on 3/4/25):
"CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Political activist and educator Ericka Huggins used spiritual wellness practices to cope with imprisonment and racial oppression. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor of African American studies Mary Frances Phillips wrote about Huggins and how her wellness practices and political work were deeply entwined. Her new book, “Black Panther Woman: The Political and Spiritual Life of Ericka Huggins,” is the first scholarly biography of a female member of the Black Panther Party.
When Phillips studied African American history in college, the material about the Black Panther Party was very male centered, leading her to wonder about the women who were missing from that history and what they contributed. The biography adds to the understanding of Black women’s political organizing and resistance, she said.
“Women were very much involved in the work of the Black Panther Party from the beginning, in every aspect of leadership. Many of the activities were heavily influenced by women. They were always there; they were just often left out of the public telling of the organization,” Phillips said. Women were often the ones keeping the organization and its community programs operating when the high-profile male leaders were targeted by the FBI, she said.
Phillips looked at Huggins’ childhood and her teenage and college years when she was active in student organizations and then joined the Black Panthers. But most of the book focuses on the two years, beginning in 1969, that Huggins spent in prison awaiting trial on charges in connection with the murder of a Black Panther member."