Eldridge Cleaver

Leroy Eldridge Cleaver (August 31, 1935 – May 1, 1998) was an African American writer and political activist. He was an early leader of the Black Panther Party, serving as Minister of Information and, while in exile, head of the International Section of the Panthers. As editor of the official Panthers' newspaper, The Black Panther, Cleaver's influence on the direction of the party was rivaled only by founders Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. In 1958, Cleaver was convicted of a series of crimes including assault and attempted murder, and he eventually served time in Folsom and San Quentin prisons before being released on parole in 1966. Cleaver read widely in prison and began writing. His work was noticed by Edward Keating of Ramparts, who advocated for his release and published his prison essays. Upon Cleaver's release in 1966, Keating hired him to work for Ramparts and he began his work with the Panthers. In 1968, Cleaver published Soul on Ice, a collection of essays that was met with both praise and condemnation due to its searing commentary on American society and its provocative assertions. Most notoriously, Cleaver admits (with regret) to raping multiple women prior to his incarceration. That same year, he became a fugitive after wounding two Oakland police officers in an ambush, during which Cleaver was wounded and fellow Black Panther Bobby Hutton was killed. Cleaver and Newton subsequently fell out with each other, resulting in a split that weakened the party. After spending seven years in exile in Cuba, Algeria, and France, Cleaver returned to the U.S. in 1975. He designed provocative clothes for men and later became involved in various religious groups (the Unification Church and the Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles) before joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and...