Dhoruba bin Wahad facts for kids

Dhoruba al-Mujahid bin Wahad, born Richard Earl Moore on June 30, 1944, is an American activist and writer. He was once a leader in the New York Black Panther Party. He also helped start the Black Liberation Army.

In 1969, he was one of the Panther 21 members accused of planning attacks on police stations in New York City. After a long trial, the Panther 21 group was found innocent.

Later, in 1971, bin Wahad was arrested and found guilty of trying to harm two New York City police officers. He spent 19 years in prison. He was released in 1990. A judge decided that his arrest was part of an unfair government program called FBI's COINTELPRO. The judge also found that important evidence was kept from his defense team.

Since his release, bin Wahad has lived in both New York and Ghana. He often writes about the justice system in the U.S. and about Pan-Africanism. Pan-Africanism is a movement that supports the unity of all African people.

Early Life and Education

Richard Earl Moore was born in 1944 in a busy neighborhood in the South Bronx. His parents were Collins Moore and Audrey Cyrus Moore. His father's family had moved from Georgia to Harlem in the 1920s. His mother's family came from the island of Antigua. When Richard was a baby, his father joined the Army. His parents soon separated, and his father was not part of his life.

As he grew up, Richard got involved with street groups. When he was a teenager, he spent six difficult months in the Army. He then received an undesirable discharge, meaning he was asked to leave. After returning to the Bronx, he rejoined his group. In 1962, he faced legal issues after an incident with another group. He was sent to prison for five years. He served time in several prisons, including Elmira and Comstock.

At Comstock Prison, Richard began to learn a lot about politics. A Muslim inmate helped him and gave him books to read. For the first time, Moore read stories from former enslaved people like Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman. He was very impressed by Malcolm X, whose speeches he read and listened to. Even though Moore did not want to join the Nation of Islam (NOI), he admired Malcolm X. He felt Malcolm X was smart and inspiring.

Moore was three years into his sentence when he heard about the death of Malcolm X in 1965. He was shocked by the news. Like many other Black inmates, he believed the murder was planned by NOI followers and law enforcement. Moore decided the best way to honor Malcolm X was to "think like Malcolm X." He wanted to use Malcolm X's ideas in his own life. Because of this, Moore became a Muslim. He changed his name to Dhoruba al-Mujahid bin Wahad. Dhoruba means "he who is born in the storm" in Swahili. He kept learning on his own. He read books like The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire and Das Kapital. He also read historical novels like Exodus.

Joining the Black Panther Party

By 1967, bin Wahad was out of prison. He was living with his wife Iris in Manhattan. In August 1968, after the death of Martin Luther King Jr., bin Wahad joined the Black Panther Party. The Black Panther Party was a group that worked for the rights and protection of Black people.

Within a few months, he became a field secretary for New York state. He also became the chief of security for Eldridge Cleaver, another leader. The FBI and NYPD soon saw bin Wahad as an important activist. He was placed on special lists by the FBI.

On April 2, 1969, bin Wahad and 20 other members of the Black Panther Party were arrested. They were accused of many serious plans, including attacking police stations. This group was first called the "New York 21." Later, they became known as the "Panther 21."

During the trial, there were disagreements among the national Black Panther Party leaders. These disagreements were often caused by the FBI. The FBI had a secret program called COINTELPRO. This program tried to create problems and divisions within activist groups.

In January 1971, bin Wahad and another defendant, Michael "Cetewayo" Tabor, were out on bail. They left the country to avoid possible danger. Tabor went to Algeria, and bin Wahad lived secretly in different places in the U.S. While in hiding, bin Wahad wrote a letter to The New York Times. In the letter, he criticized the trial for the New York Panthers. He also spoke out against some Black Panther Party leaders.

During the trial, the jury learned that police had many secret agents within the Black Panther Party. They also learned that some violent threats from the Party were actually started by these undercover agents. On May 13, 1971, the Panther 13 (some charges had been dropped) were found innocent on all counts. This included bin Wahad and Tabor, even though they were not there. However, bin Wahad's legal troubles were not over yet.

Legal Challenges and Imprisonment

On May 19, 1971, two NYPD officers, Thomas Curry and Nicholas Binetti, were guarding the home of Manhattan District Attorney Frank Hogan. The officers saw a blue car driving slowly by. They followed the car. At that point, the officers were shot at. They were seriously injured. Their statements suggested the shooter was a Black man in the passenger seat of the blue car.

This shooting happened during a time of strong tension between Black activist groups and the NYPD. Two days later, two other NYPD officers were shot and killed in Harlem.

On June 5, 1971, bin Wahad was arrested. He was charged with trying to harm Officers Curry and Binetti. His first trial ended with the jury not being able to agree. His second trial was stopped. In 1973, his third trial resulted in a guilty verdict. He was sentenced to twenty-five years to life in prison.

Life in Prison and Release

Bin Wahad spent 19 years in prison for the charge of attempted harm. While in prison, he learned about government hearings that showed the FBI's secret COINTELPRO program existed. In December 1975, he filed a lawsuit against both the FBI and NYPD.

Because of his lawsuit, the FBI released over 300,000 pages of secret COINTELPRO documents over the next 15 years. These documents helped bin Wahad appeal his conviction. Finally, on March 15, 1990, a judge in New York reversed his conviction. The judge ruled that the prosecution had not shared important evidence that could have helped bin Wahad's defense. One key piece of evidence was a tape recording of an anonymous call. This call said that Dhoruba Bin Wahad was not involved in the shooting. It turned out the call was made by a main witness for the prosecution. But bin Wahad's lawyers never received this tape from the prosecution.

In March 1990, Bin Wahad was set free without bail. The Manhattan District Attorney said he would appeal the ruling and seek another trial if the appeal failed.

In December 1991, the appeal was rejected by a higher court. On January 20, 1995, the Manhattan district attorney's office stated there would be no new trial. They said the evidence they had would make a new trial impossible.

Life After Prison

After his release, bin Wahad moved to Accra in Ghana. There, he worked to promote Pan-Africanism and reform the U.S. prison system. Using money from his lawsuit settlements, he started the Campaign to Free Black and New African Political Prisoners. He also founded the Institute for the Development of Pan-African Policy in Ghana.

Bin Wahad now divides his time between New York City and Ghana. He continues to write. His most recent book is Revolution in These Times, published in 2025.

Incident with "New" Black Panther Party

On August 19, 2015, bin Wahad and a friend were attacked by a group calling themselves the "New Black Panther Party." Bin Wahad was at a meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. He spoke to the group about their use of the Black Panther name and ideas. He and his friend were told to leave. When they refused, bin Wahad was attacked. He suffered a concussion, a broken jaw, and cuts from the attack. This event led Elbert Howard, a founding member of the original Black Panthers, to speak out against the new group.

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