The cold concrete walls of America’s prisons have held some of the most influential voices of the Black Power movement for decades. From the late 1960s through the early 1980s, the United States government, through its controversial COINTELPRO program, systematically imprisoned dozens of Black Panther Party (BPP) members and leaders. These imprisonments weren’t merely criminal cases; they represented a coordinated effort to dismantle what FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover called “the greatest threat to internal security of the country.”
Today, more than fifty years after the height of the Black Panther Party, the legacy of these political imprisonments continues to reverberate through American society. Some former Panthers have emerged from decades of incarceration into a world that, in many ways, still grapples with the same issues they fought against. Others remain behind bars, their cases serving as persistent reminders of an unresolved chapter in American justice.
“The prison system was used as a tool of political repression,” explains former Panther Dhoruba Bin Wahad, who spent nineteen years in prison before his conviction was overturned. “They didn’t just want to imprison individuals; they wanted to imprison a movement.”
The Roll Call of Resistance: Notable Cases and Outcomes
Released
- Geronimo ji-Jaga (Pratt)
- Imprisoned: 1970-1997 (27 years)
- Released: 1997 after conviction overturned
- Post-release: Worked as human rights activist until his death in 2011
- Notable: Maintained his innocence and proved FBI surveillance showed he was in Oakland during the crime he was accused of
- Sundiata Acoli
- Imprisoned: 1973-2022
- Released: 2022 at age 85
- Current status: Speaking on prison reform and racial justice
- Connection to Assata Shakur case
- Dhoruba Bin Wahad
- Imprisoned: 1971-1990
- Released: After proving prosecutorial misconduct
- Post-release: Continues activism and writing on political prisoners
- Marshall “Eddie” Conway
- Imprisoned: 1970-2014 (44 years)
- Released: 2014
- Post-release: Worked with Real News Network until his death in 2023
- Maintained his innocence throughout imprisonment
- Jalil Muntaqim (Anthony Bottom)
- Imprisoned: 1971-2020
- Released: October 2020
- Current status: Active in community organizing and speaking
- Has written extensively about his experiences
Currently Incarcerated
- Mumia Abu-Jamal
- Imprisoned: Since 1981
- Current status: Still incarcerated in Pennsylvania
- Continues writing and commentating from prison
- Case remains controversial and subject of ongoing advocacy
- Kamau Sadiki (Freddie Hilton)
- Imprisoned: Since 2002
- Current status: Serving life sentence
- Connected to Assata Shakur case
In Exile
- Assata Shakur
- Escaped: 1979
- Current status: Living in Cuba with political asylum
- Continues writing and speaking on political issues
- First woman placed on FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list
From Prison Cells to Public Voices
The stories of released Panthers reveal a complex tapestry of resilience and evolution. Take Marshall “Eddie” Conway, who walked free in 2014 after 44 years behind bars. Until his death in 2023, Conway dedicated himself to community journalism and youth mentoring, demonstrating the Panthers’ enduring commitment to community service. “Prison walls contain the body,” he often said, “but they cannot imprison the mind or the spirit of resistance.”
Jalil Muntaqim, released in 2020 after nearly half a century in prison, offers a particularly poignant perspective. “The struggle we faced in the 1960s has transformed,” he noted in a recent interview, “but the fundamental issues of racial and economic justice remain unresolved.” Muntaqim’s post-release activism focuses on connecting young activists with the historical lessons of the Black Power movement.
The International Dimension
The case of Assata Shakur, living in exile in Cuba since 1979, adds an international dimension to this story. Her escape and asylum transformed her into both a symbol of resistance and a focal point for ongoing debates about political repression in America. From Cuba, she continues to write and speak about the connections between her era’s struggles and contemporary movements for racial justice.
A New Generation Learns from History
Modern activists studying the cases of Panther political prisoners have discovered uncomfortable parallels with current events. The surveillance techniques used against the Panthers have evolved into today’s digital monitoring of protest movements. The criminalization of political activism, a hallmark of COINTELPRO, finds echoes in contemporary responses to racial justice protesters.
Yet perhaps the most powerful legacy of the Panthers’ political prisoners lies in their influence on current prison abolition and reform movements. Organizations like Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP) frequently cite Panther cases when advocating for elder release and compassionate release programs.
Unfinished Business
The ongoing incarceration of some Panthers, most notably Mumia Abu-Jamal, represents what many activists call “unfinished business” in American justice. Abu-Jamal’s case, in particular, continues to draw international attention to questions about fair trials, prison conditions, and the treatment of political activists in the American legal system.
“Every remaining political prisoner represents a piece of unfinished business in America’s journey toward justice,” says former political prisoner Sekou Odinga. “Their continued incarceration speaks not just to the past, but to our present willingness to confront historical wrongs.”
The Living Legacy
Today, as a new generation confronts issues of racial justice and police brutality, the experiences of Panther political prisoners offer both lessons and warnings. Their stories demonstrate the high price of political resistance while providing a blueprint for sustained struggle against systemic oppression.
The legacy of Black Panther political prisoners extends far beyond their individual cases. It lives in the community programs inspired by their work, in the legal precedents established by their cases, and in the continuing dialogue about political repression and resistance in America.
As Geronimo ji-Jaga (Pratt) said shortly before his death in 2011, “The truth is, we were never just fighting for ourselves. We were fighting for justice, and that fight continues today.”
