Look For Me In The Whirlwind: From the Panther 21 to 21st-Century Revolutions

by déqui kioni-sadiki (Editor), Matt Meyer (Editor), Imam Jamil Al-Amin (Foreword)

Amid music festivals and moon landings, the tumultuous year of 1969 included an infamous case in the annals of criminal justice and Black liberation: the New York City Black Panther 21. Though some among the group had hardly even met one another, the 21 were rounded up by the FBI and New York Police Department in an attempt to disrupt and destroy the organization that was attracting young people around the world. Involving charges of conspiracy to commit violent acts, the Panther 21 trial—the longest and most expensive in New York history—revealed the illegal government activities which led to exile, imprisonment on false charges, and assassination of Black liberation leaders. Solidarity for the 21 also extended well beyond “movement” circles and included mainstream publication of their collective autobiography, Look for Me in the Whirlwind, which is reprinted here for the first time.

Look for Me in the Whirlwind: From the Panther 21 to 21st-Century Revolutions contains the entire original manuscript, and includes new commentary from surviving members of the 21: Sekou Odinga, Dhoruba Bin Wahad, Jamal Joseph, and Shaba Om. Still-imprisoned Sundiata Acoli, Imam Jamil Al-Amin, and Mumia Abu-Jamal contribute new essays. Never or rarely seen poetry and prose from Afeni Shakur, Kuwasi Balagoon, Ali Bey Hassan, and Michael “Cetewayo” Tabor is included. Early Panther leader and jazz master Bilal Sunni-Ali adds a historical essay and lyrics from his composition “Look for Me in the Whirlwind,” and coeditors kioni-sadiki, Meyer, and Panther rank-and-file member Cyril “Bullwhip” Innis Jr. help bring the story up to date.

At a moment when the Movement for Black Lives recites the affirmation that “it is our duty to win,” penned by Black Liberation Army (BLA) militant Assata Shakur, those who made up the BLA and worked alongside of Assata are largely unknown. This book—with archival photos from David Fenton, Stephen Shames, and the private collections of the authors— provides essential parts of a hidden and missing-in-action history. Going well beyond the familiar and mythologized nostalgic Panther narrative, From the Panther 21 to 21st-Century Revolutions explains how and why the Panther legacy is still relevant and vital today.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Politics, African American, American History, Race, Social Justice

Kindle Edition

Published June 5, 2017

About the author

déqui kioni-sadiki is the chair of the Malcolm X Commemoration Committee and was a leader of the Sekou Odinga Defense Committee, which waged a successful campaign for the release of her husband. A tireless coalition-builder and organizer, déqui is a radio producer of the weekly show “Where We Live” on WBAI-Radio, Pacifica; an educator with the NYC Department of Education; and a member of the Jericho Movement to Free All Political Prisoners.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the books I have read about the Black Panthers have focused on the Oakland based Panthers or in Chicago. This is a valuable addition focusing on the Black Panther Party in New York, including those who went on to form the Black Liberation Army.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collective work reads more like a symposium than a narrative; or at least it begins and ends this way. The central text, the collective biography of the New York City Black Panther 21 who were unjustly detained until every single bogus charge against them was dropped after they’d been detained and tortured for two years, is bookended by essays, poetry, and historical evidence provided by Panther 21 and allies, is compelling and important, but the real star of the show is the collective biography taking up roughly 400 pages in the middle.

Look for Me in the Whirlwind (the central text) was produced entirely during the pre-trial detention of the Panther 21, and it rotates between the stories they tell of their own lives and resistance. This can be a little jarring at first, but is ultimately an incredibly compelling way to present the story of the Black Panthers movement through some of its most important members’ voices, seeing both the commonalities in their stories and the unique perspectives each of them brings.

The text is divided into 11 unnamed parts, each containing many perspectives identified by name, that move along a fairly linear narrative from the late 1940s through their 1969-1970 incarceration. I’ve identified the themes of the parts as follows:

Part 1: Childhood
Part 2: Drugs
Part 3: School
Part 4: Gangs
Part 5: Crime, Jail, and Prison
Part 6: Military
Part 7: Life Abroad
Part 8: Islam
Part 9: Early Mobilization
Part 10: Becoming Panthers
Part 11: Unjust imprisonment

Certain voices resounded more intensely for me, like Afeni Shakur and Kuawsi Balagoon, but I think different readers will probably respond differently. The most important feeling I came out of the central collective biography with is that this should be required reading in American classrooms, as it gives a thorough, plain-spoken, personal account of a historically misrepresented movement.

[Emily Kohler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is unlike any other that I've read on racial justice and history. It has helped me to look beyond my own experiences and perspectives. And it has helped me to reframe my thoughts about prisons, criminal justice, and life in this country. And this all happened very recently. Highly recommend. If you've read the Autobiography of Malcolm X already, this is a good next book. Note- yes it's a long book and it took me forever to get through. I went really slowly because pandemic life circumstances didn't really allow for lots of reading.

[Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful series of essays and poems from members of the Panther 21 and more recounting the rise and fall of the black power era. Rereading is required. This book serves as a proper history book for the black radical tradition especially in the midst of COINTELPRO and other repressive govt operations.