Eldridge Cleaver
- imprisoned by 22 for assault
- influenced by Malcolm X while in prison, drawn to violent nature of the Black Panther party as it merged black socialism with nationalism
- 1968 Soul on Ice - NY Times book of the year
- lived in exile, returned to US and wrote Soul on Fire
- members of Black Panther party often targeted by police "justifiable homicide"
- involved in a shootout in Oakland where a police officer was wounded and 17 year old Bobby Hutton was killed, picked up on parole and revoked
Hi Rhiannon,
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your notes on Eldridge Cleaver's writing I wonder, if you decide to analyze this work, if you plan to add information regarding the social justice projects undertaken by the Panthers, why Cleaver was drawn to the violent aspect (as Malcolm said justice by any means) and the original reason for their existence?