Elaine Brown facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elaine Brown
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Brown c. 1967
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| Born | March 2, 1943 |
| Occupation | Activist · Singer · Songwriter |
| Political party | Black Panther Green |
| Movement | Black Power movement |
| Children | 1 |
Elaine Brown (born March 2, 1943) is an American activist, writer, and singer. She was also a leader of the Black Panther Party. Brown lives in Oakland, California. In 2008, she briefly sought the Green Party nomination for president.
Today, she is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Oakland & the World Enterprises. She started this organization in 2014.
Contents
Elaine Brown's Early Life
Elaine Brown grew up in North Philadelphia with her mother, Dorothy Clark. Her father was not part of her life. Even though they were very poor, Elaine's mother worked hard for her. Elaine went to private schools, took music lessons, and had nice clothes.
As a child, she studied classical piano and ballet for many years. She attended a school mostly with white students. As a young Black woman, Elaine spent most of her time with white people. She had very few African-American friends.
After finishing Philadelphia High School for Girls, she went to Temple University. She left Temple after a short time to work in the music industry. Brown moved to Los Angeles, California, to become a professional songwriter.
While in Los Angeles, Brown attended the University of California, Los Angeles. She also briefly went to Mills College and Southwestern University School of Law.
Learning About Social Justice
While working, she met Jay Richard Kennedy, a music executive. He taught her a lot about social justice. They became close. Brown learned about political movements from Kennedy. He taught her about the Civil Rights Movement, capitalism, and communism. Because of this, she became involved with the Black Liberation Movement.
After this important relationship, Brown's interest in politics grew. She started working for a newspaper called Harambee. Soon after, Brown became the first representative of the Black Student Alliance at the Black Congress in California. In April 1968, after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, she went to her first meeting of the Los Angeles chapter of the Black Panther Party.
Joining the Black Panther Party
In 1968, Brown joined the Black Panther Party. She studied revolutionary books and sold Black Panther Party newspapers. She quickly helped the party start its first Free Breakfast for Children program in Los Angeles. She also helped with the Party's Free Busing to Prisons Program and Free Legal Aid Program.
In 1968, David Hilliard, a Party leader, asked Brown to record her songs. This led to her album Seize the Time. She later became the editor of the Black Panther newspaper in Southern California.
Visiting China and Leadership Roles
In 1970, Brown visited China as part of a U.S. People's Anti-Imperialist Delegation. She traveled with another important party member, Eldridge Cleaver.
In 1971, Brown became a member of the Party's Central Committee. She was named Minister of Information, taking over from Cleaver. In 1973, Black Panther Party founder Huey P. Newton asked her to record more songs. These songs became the album Until We're Free.
Running for Office and Leading the Party
Newton asked Brown to run for the Oakland city council in 1973. She did not win, but she received 30 percent of the vote. She ran again in 1975 and lost again, getting 44 percent of the vote.
When Newton left for Cuba in 1974, he chose Brown to lead the Black Panther Party. She was the only woman to ever hold this position. She led the Black Panther Party from 1974 to 1977. She often faced challenges because some men did not like taking orders from a woman.
During her time as leader, Brown focused on politics and helping the community. In 1977, she helped Lionel Wilson win his campaign to become Oakland’s first Black mayor. Brown also started the Panther's Liberation School. The state of California recognized it as a model school.
Leaving the Black Panther Party
Brown stepped down from leading the Black Panther Party in 1977. This was less than a year after Newton returned from Cuba. She left after Newton refused to speak out against an incident where an administrator at the Panther Liberation School, Regina Davis, was hurt. Other male members of the party had hurt Davis because she corrected a coworker. Newton supported the men. This event showed Brown the sexism and patriarchy within the Black Panther Party. She could no longer tolerate it.
Many people saw Brown's departure as a major turning point for the Party. She left Oakland with her daughter, Ericka, and moved to Los Angeles. She feared for her safety.
Brown recorded two albums: Seize the Time (1969) and Until We're Free (1973). Seize the Time includes "The Meeting," which became the anthem of the Black Panther Party.
Elaine Brown's Later Activism
After leaving the Black Panther Party, Elaine Brown focused on raising her daughter, Ericka. She also worked on her memoir, A Taste of Power. She later returned to working for Black liberation. She especially focused on making prisons fairer. From 1980 to 1983, she attended Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles.
From 1990 to 1996, she lived in France. In 1996, Brown moved to Atlanta, Georgia. There, she started Fields of Flowers, Inc. This non-profit organization helps provide education for impoverished African-American children.
Advocating for Youth Justice
In 1998, she helped start Mothers Advocating Juvenile Justice. This group supports children who are treated as adults in the justice system in Georgia. Around the same time, she continued helping young people in prison. She founded and led the Michael Lewis Legal Defense Committee. Michael Lewis, also known as “Little B,” was sentenced to life in prison at age 14. Brown believes he did not commit the crime. Brown later wrote a non-fiction novel called The Condemnation of Little B. This book looks at Lewis's case as part of a bigger problem of more Black youth being imprisoned.
In 2003, Brown helped start the National Alliance for Radical Prison Reform. This group helps thousands of prisoners find housing after they are released. It also helps families visit prisons, helps prisoners find jobs, and raises money for phone calls and gifts for prisoners.
Running for Mayor and Continued Advocacy
In 2005, Brown was protesting a G-8 Summit in Sea Island, Georgia. There, she learned about the extreme poverty in nearby Brunswick, Georgia. Brown then tried to run for mayor of Brunswick against Bryan Thompson. She ran with the Green Party. Brown hoped to use her position as mayor to bring attention to the Michael Lewis case. She also wanted to help Black people in Brunswick. She aimed to create economic power for the city's mostly Black and poor population. She planned to do this by sharing the city's money more fairly.
Brown was eventually unable to run for mayor or vote in Brunswick. This was because she had not lived in the city long enough. However, her efforts brought a lot of attention to Michael Lewis's case. She later helped found the Brunswick Women's Association for a People's Blueprint.
Brown continues her work for prison reform. She often gives talks at colleges and universities in the U.S. Since 1995, she has spoken at over forty colleges and many conferences.
Elaine Brown's Green Party Role
In March 2007, Brown announced she wanted to be the Green Party's presidential nominee for 2008. Brown felt that a campaign was needed to support people not represented by the main political parties. She especially wanted to help women under 30 and African Americans.
Her plan focused on the needs of working-class families. She promoted fair wages for everyone, free health care, more money for public education, and more affordable housing. She also wanted to remove troops from Iraq, improve the environment, and promote equality. Brown hoped her campaign would bring many minority groups to the Green Party. She believed this would help the party become a stronger force for social justice.
In late 2007, she left the Green Party. She felt that the party was still mostly led by white people. She believed they were not truly committed to making big social changes.
In 2010, prisoners in Georgia used hidden cellphones to organize a nonviolent strike. They wanted better prison conditions. Brown became their main advisor outside the prison walls. She helped turn the prisoners' complaints into a list of demands. She also held a conference call to plan a strategy with different groups. These groups included the Georgia chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Nation of Islam.
Elaine Brown's Personal Life
Elaine Brown has one daughter, Ericka Abram. Her daughter's father was Raymond Hewitt, a member of the Black Panther Party. However, Hewitt was mostly absent from his daughter's life. Elaine Brown attended Hewitt's funeral.
Discography
Studio Albums:
- Seize The Time - Black Panther Party (1969)
- Elaine Brown (1973)
EPs:
- No Time / Until We're Free (1973)
Images for kids
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Brown circa 1967
