ELAINE BROWN Online

            Throughout the last four decades, Elaine has been committed to and organized significant efforts toward effecting progressive change in the United States.  In addition to Black Panther Party leadership, which included editing the Party’s news organ, running for public office in Oakland (1973 and 1975), and leading the Party (1974-1977) as its Chairman, since that time Elaine has actively worked for such social change through to today.  Much of her recent work has been focused on radical reform of the criminal justice system and related efforts.  In this regard, Elaine has authored and edited books about the plight of prisoners and the injustices in the criminal justice and prison systems, published numerous articles and newsletters in support of prison reform, and lectured widely at colleges and universities on the question.  Elaine is quoted as a reliable source and expert on the criminal justice system and considered a noted advocate for its radical reform.

Relevant Experience

1.                   Fields of Flowers, Inc.  Elaine founded this educational non-profit corporation in 1996 (Atlanta, Georgia) to establish an education center serving the basic needs of and educating poor, black children.  

2.                  Mothers Advocating Juvenile Justice.  Co-founded this grassroots organization in 1998 (Atlanta, Georgia) to advocate for children adjudicated and incarcerated as adults.  Organized a membership base of over 300 mostly black women who had teenage sons who were either in prison or charged with crimes under Georgia’s law providing for prosecution of children as adults, commonly called SB440.

3.                  Michael Lewis Legal Defense Committee.  Founder (1998) and Executive Director of this group dedicated to the freedom from prison of Michael Lewis, known as “Little B,” a black boy tried and convicted in Atlanta, Georgia, as an adult for a murder he did not commit, sentenced to life in prison at 14 years old.

4.                  National Alliance for Radical Prison Reform.  Co-Founder (2003) and Executive Board Member of this organization, based in Atlanta, Georgia, which, among other things, developed a massive correspondence network with thousands of prisoners in Georgia and throughout the country, by which over 5,000 prisoner-members were recruited; published a newsletter and other materials; developed transitional housing for parolees; provided a transportation network for prison visits by families; raised funds for prisoner telephone calls and Christmas packages; procured employment for parolees.

5.                  Historically  As a member of the Black Panther Party (1968-1978), helped establish the Party’s first Free Busing to Prisons Program (1969) in Southern California; set up Free Legal Aid Program; wrote and performed songs, including The Black Panther National Anthem, recorded on two albums.  As a leading member (1971-1978), editor of the Party’s official newspaper; administrator of model elementary school (Oakland, California); ran for public office twice (1973 and 1975); organized and managed 1977 campaign of Oakland’s first black mayor (Lionel Wilson); ultimately, as Chairman, supervised all Party operations.

Lecture Series

            Represented by two lecture agents, Elaine regularly lectures at colleges and universities throughout the United States, primarily on the topic “New Age Racism in America,” focusing on the massive incarceration of blacks and other people of color.  Below is a partial list of lecture venues. 1995-present:

·         California State University, Dominguez Hills, Los Angeles, Monterey

·         Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

·         Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, California

·         Colorado State University, Fort Collins

·         Columbia University, New York, New York

·         Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

·         Duke University, Durham, North Carolina

·         Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia

·         Florida International University, Miami

·         Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts

·         Kent State University, Kent, Ohio

·         Mills College, Oakland, California

·         Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia

·         Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois

·         Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio

·         Pepperdine University, Malibu, California

·         Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York

·         Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts

·         Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia

·         Stanford University, Stanford, California

·         State University of New York, Buffalo, Canton, Plattsburgh

·         Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut

·         University of Alaska, Fairbanks

·         University of California, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Diego

·         University of Colorado, Boulder

·         University of Georgia, Athens

·         University of Massachusetts, Amherst

·         University of Minnesota, Duluth

·         University of Nebraska, Omaha

·         University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

·         University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

·         University of Oregon, Eugene

·         University of South Dakota, Vermillion

·         University of Virginia, Lynchburg

·         University of Washington, Seattle

·         University of Wisconsin, Madison

·         Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee

·         Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York

·         Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania

Other

1.                   Selected Presentations (1995-present)

·         Centre George Pompidou, Paris, France (1995): Jean Genet and the Black Panther Party

·         Institut des Beaux-Arts, Paris, France (1995): Race and Racism in the United States

·         National Black Arts Festival, Atlanta, Georgia (1998, 2000, 2002): book readings

·         The Gathering, Catholic Bishops of the South keynote (Atlanta, Georgia, 2001): The Condemnation of Little B and the Inhumanity of Incarcerating Children in Adult Prisons

·         Harriet Tubman African American Museum, Macon, Georgia (2001): The Condemnation of Little B and New Age Racism in America

·         Organization of American Historians Conference keynote (Atlanta, Georgia, 2002): History of the Black Panther Party

·         National History Day Conference lecture (Atlanta, Georgia, 2002):  The Black Panther Party and the Post-Civil Rights Movement

·         National Council for Black Studies, Atlanta, Georgia (2003) panel: Historical Examination of the Black Panther Party

·         National Black Herstory Task Force Conference keynote (Atlanta, Georgia, 2003)

·         Columbia University Criminal Justice Conference “Against Criminal Injustice” paper and lecture (2003): The Condemnation of Little B

·         Hancock State Prison, Sparta, Georgia, Black History Month presentation to inmates (2003)

·         New York University Transnational Feminism Conference presentation (2004)

·         University of Texas, Austin, Conference presentation on 50^th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education (2004)

·         100^th Annual American Political Science Association Conference presentation (2004), Chicago, Illinois: Public Intellectuals and the Left in America: Toward a Ruthless Criticism of Everything Existing.

·         Girl Fest Hawaii Conference presentation (Honolulu, 2005): Preventing Violence Against Women and Girls

·         YWCA Conference keynote (Washington, D.C., 2006): Eliminating Racism/Empowering Women

·         Education Not Incarceration Third Annual Conference keynote (Orlando, Florida, 2006)

·         University of Georgia Graduate and Professional Scholars, Mary Frances Early Lecture speaker (Athens, Georgia, 2007)

2.                  Publications

·         A Taste of Power, A Black Woman’s Story (Pantheon, 1993).  This book has been optioned by HBO for its six-part series The Black Panthers, now in development.

·         The Condemnation of Little B, New Age Racism in America (Beacon Press, 2002).

·         Messages From Behind the Wall, Ed., a collection of autobiographical essays by black prisoners in New Mexico (2007, New Mexico Department of African American Affairs).

·         For Reasons of Race and Belief, The Trials of Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin (Formerly H. Rap Brown), co-author with Karima Al-Amin, set for publication by Basic Books, November 2008.

·         Melba and Al, A Story of Black Love in Jim Crow America, slated for publication by Seven Stories Press, September 2008.

·         Innumerable articles for newspapers, magazines and journals.

3.                  Education

·         Temple University (1961-62)

·         University of California, Los Angeles (1968-69)

·         Mills College (1972-73)

·         Southwestern University School of Law, Los Angeles, California (1980-83)

·         Philadelphia Conservatory of Music

4.                  Additional Information

·         Emory University Acquisition of Elaine Brown Papers (2001)

·         Recorded two albums of original songs, Seize the Time (Vault Records, 1969) and Until We’re Free (Black Forum, Motown Records, 1971).  Seize the Time reissued in 2007 by Warner Bros.

·         Resident of France 1989-1996; fluent French.  Travel to: Algeria, Argentina, Bahamas, Belize, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, England, Finland, Germany, Italy, Jamaica, Korea (Democratic People’s Republic), Mexico, Monaco, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, Uruguay, Vietnam.

·         College Course Instructor, Center for Urban Educational Excellence, Georgia State University: Master of Science Degree Program (Summer, 2000); Atlanta Public Schools Middle Teacher Seminar (Summer 2002).

·         College Course Instructor, College of Education, University of Georgia: “Gender and Education/Black Masculinity” (Fall 2004).

·         Green Party candidate for mayor of Brunswick, Georgia, 2005.

·         Member of the Geechee Council of Georgia, organized to promote the heritage of the Gullah-Geechee people.

·         Partner, Seize the Time, Inc.

·         Co-Founder (2006) of the Brunswick Women’s Association for Community Improvement.

·         Led successful campaign for parole of Georgia prisoner Cheryll Smith (2005); participant in campaign to overturn wrongful conviction of Georgia prisoner Dontae Mitchell; active participant in various campaigns for the freedom of “political prisoners,” including Jamil Al-Amin (formerly H. Rap Brown) (Colorado federal prison), Romaine “Chip” Fitzgerald (California state prison) and Siddique Hasan (Ohio state prison death row).