Elaine Brown

Elaine Brown is a former leader of the Black Panther Party, as Minister of Information then Chairman. She is the author of A Taste of Power and The Condemnation of Little B. A Taste of Power, her autobiography, is scheduled for film production with Alicia Keys slated to play Elaine, and, was recently published as an audiobook by Audible, and published in the UK by Penguin/Random House and in France by Éditions Syllepse (Paris).

As Executive Director of the Michael Lewis Legal Defense Committee, supporting the legal appeal of Lewis (“Little B”), who, arrested in 1997 in Atlanta, Georgia, at the age of 13 for a murder he did not commit, was convicted and sentenced as an adult to life in prison, Elaine sustained a campaign for his freedom for over 27 years. On September 27, 2023, Michael, at 40 years old, was released on parole to live in California.

· Elaine is CEO of the non-profit organization Oakland & the World Enterprises, Inc. (OAW), dedicated to launching and sustaining for-profit businesses for cooperative ownership by formerly incarcerated and other people facing extreme barriers to economic survival. OAW is now building 79, 100% affordable housing units in West Oakland, for projected occupancy in June 2024, the ground floor housing OAW-supported businesses, including a neighborhood market, restaurant, fitness center, urban farm and tech center

Elaine studied classical piano for many years, including at the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music, and has recorded two albums of original songs, one for Motown records—which recently re-issued a vinyl of her album, Until We’re Free. Elaine’s papers are archived at Emory University. Elaine is the mother of one daughter, Ericka, and resides in Oakland, California

BOOKS & ALBUMS