Pubs: Articles and Chapters by Mary Phillips
This roundtable describes the creation and evolution of the Intersectional Black Panther Party Hi... more This roundtable describes the creation and evolution of the Intersectional Black Panther Party History Project (IPHP), a feminist collective created by Angela D. LeBlanc-Ernest, Tracye A. Matthews, Mary Phillips, and Robyn C. Spencer, four Black women historians who have spent decades researching and writing about Panther women’s lives. Our discussion centers the intellectual legacy of the Combahee River Collective to explore the utility of Black feminist methodologies in studying the BPP; the state of the field; silences in the historiography around queer identities, pleasure, and gendering men; and the impact of the crisis facing Black women in the larger society on our work as scholar-activists.
The mention of three words, “Black Panther Party,” (BPP) continues to evoke mental images of blac... more The mention of three words, “Black Panther Party,” (BPP) continues to evoke mental images of black berets, black leather jackets, black shades and black men with scowling black faces. Historical research already has disproven that the BPP was all male and all angry. Women at one time formed a large portion of the BPP and many members had children while they were in the BPP. Indeed, a clear and undeniable argument can be made that men in the BPP have been presented in an incomplete light because they were more than angry activists. A large percentage of them were husbands, fathers, brothers, and friends. Popular media images throughout decades have distorted the complete reality of who many BPP male members were and strove to be: community activists, teachers, and caretakers. Reshaping a dominant narrative of men in the BPP as hypermasculine violent figures, this essay centers on male members who are often overlooked, including John Huggins, Emory Douglas, Austin Allen, and Steve McCutchen. The article also explores BPP men’s activities in various spaces such as the Intercommunal Youth Institute (IYI)/Oakland Community School (OCS), the Oakland Community Learning Center (OCLC), and the BPP newspaper, in particular, and their activist involvement in the broader community. The authors utilize a range of primary and secondary sources, including oral interviews and unpublished photographs, to present a nuanced history of men in the BPP. By looking at the lives of individual males and exploring the educational and community spaces they occupied and worked within, we shed light on individuals who had a tremendous impact on the lives of BPP members and broader communities, both nationally and internationally. Our focus on the IYI, OCS and OCLC spans the 1971-1982 time frame of BPP history and presents the case for the need to continue exploring BPP activism beyond 1974.
This article explores the assignments that two professors developed while utilizing Writing Acros... more This article explores the assignments that two professors developed while utilizing Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) strategies to collaborate across the disciplines of Art History and African American Studies. While we discuss our teaching philosophies, course designs and structures for courses on the Black Panther Party and studio art, we focus on sharing the assignments we that we created out of this collaborative process. In our experience, creating assignments across disciplines broadened our horizons and gave us a variety of additional ways to incorporate critical thinking and improve communication skills and analysis of course material.
Black Diaspora Review
Born on January 5, 1948, in Washington, D.C., Ericka Huggins was an important figure in the Black... more Born on January 5, 1948, in Washington, D.C., Ericka Huggins was an important figure in the Black Panther Party (BPP) as well as a key Black Power era activist. A high-ranking member of the BPP, she served on the organization's Central Committee. As a writer, poet, educator, former editor of the Black Panther and Director of the Oakland Community School, Huggins was vital to the BPP as an organizer and intellectual. This essay provides an in-depth analysis of Huggins's feminist theory, her work as a revolutionary educator, and the impact of her incarceration on the BPP as a member of the New Haven 14. I argue that Huggins's experiences serve as an example of progressive gender politics in the BPP. Until recently Black women's activism has been largely neglected in BPP scholarship and this work contributes to the emerging scholarship on Black women in the most widely known organization of the Black Power Movement. This essay differs from previous interpretations on Ericka Huggins and the BPP by showcasing her voice on the intersections of Black Power and Black feminist politics in the BPP.
Integrated But Unequal: Black Faculty in Predominately White Space, 2012
Book Reviews by Mary Phillips
Research Presentations by Mary Phillips
Women in the Black Panthers- Conversations in Black Freedom Studies (featuring Ericka Huggins)
Spiritual Maturity: The Feminist Theory of Ericka Huggins
New Approaches on Women’s Narratives in the Black Panther Party
Ericka Huggins: A Catalyst in the Evolution of Gender Politics in the Black Panther Party
Sisters Fighting Back: The Legacy of Women and Self Defense in the Black Panther Party
Sister Soldiers: A Discussion of Black Women’s Resistance
Survival of the Falsely Accused: Prison Coping Strategies of the Black Panther Party
Books by Mary Phillips
Black Panther Woman: The Political and Spiritual Life of Ericka Huggins, 2025
The first biography of Ericka Huggins, a queer Black woman who brought spiritual self-care practi... more The first biography of Ericka Huggins, a queer Black woman who brought spiritual self-care practices to the Black Panther Party.
In this groundbreaking biography, Mary Frances Phillips immerses readers in the life and legacy of Ericka Huggins, a revered Black Panther Party member, as well as a mother, widow, educator, poet, and former political prisoner. In 1969, the police arrested Ericka Huggins along with Bobby Seale and fellow Black Panther Party members, who were accused of murdering Alex Rackley. This marked the beginning of her ordeal, as she became the subject of political persecution and a well-planned FBI COINTELPRO plot.
Drawing on never-before-seen archival sources, including prison records, unpublished letters, photographs, FBI records, and oral histories, Phillips foregrounds the paramount role of self-care and community care in Huggins’s political journey, shedding light on Ericka’s use of spiritual wellness practices she developed during her incarceration. In prison, Huggins was able to survive the repression and terror she faced while navigating motherhood through her unwavering commitment to spiritual practices. In showcasing this history, Phillips reveals the significance of spiritual wellness in the Black Panther Party and Black Power movement.
Transcending the traditional male-centric study of the Black Panther Party, Black Panther Woman offers an innovative analysis of Black political life at the intersections of gender, motherhood, and mass incarceration. This book serves as an invaluable toolkit for contemporary activists, underscoring the power of radical acts of care as well as vital strategies to thrive in the world.
Uploads
Pubs: Articles and Chapters by Mary Phillips
Book Reviews by Mary Phillips
Research Presentations by Mary Phillips
Books by Mary Phillips
In this groundbreaking biography, Mary Frances Phillips immerses readers in the life and legacy of Ericka Huggins, a revered Black Panther Party member, as well as a mother, widow, educator, poet, and former political prisoner. In 1969, the police arrested Ericka Huggins along with Bobby Seale and fellow Black Panther Party members, who were accused of murdering Alex Rackley. This marked the beginning of her ordeal, as she became the subject of political persecution and a well-planned FBI COINTELPRO plot.
Drawing on never-before-seen archival sources, including prison records, unpublished letters, photographs, FBI records, and oral histories, Phillips foregrounds the paramount role of self-care and community care in Huggins’s political journey, shedding light on Ericka’s use of spiritual wellness practices she developed during her incarceration. In prison, Huggins was able to survive the repression and terror she faced while navigating motherhood through her unwavering commitment to spiritual practices. In showcasing this history, Phillips reveals the significance of spiritual wellness in the Black Panther Party and Black Power movement.
Transcending the traditional male-centric study of the Black Panther Party, Black Panther Woman offers an innovative analysis of Black political life at the intersections of gender, motherhood, and mass incarceration. This book serves as an invaluable toolkit for contemporary activists, underscoring the power of radical acts of care as well as vital strategies to thrive in the world.