Elbert Howard (January 5, 1938 – July 23, 2018), better known as Big Man, was an American

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...

activist and author who was one of the founding members of the Black Panther Party.

Black Panther

Howard spent several years in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

in Europe. After receiving an honorable discharge from the Air Force, Howard moved to

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

. While attending Merritt College, Howard met

Bobby Seale Robert George Seale (born October 22, 1936) is an American political activist and author. Seale is widely known for co-founding the Black Panther Party with fellow activist Huey P. Newton. Founded as the "Black Panther Party for Self-Defense", ...

and Huey P. Newton. In 1966, at the age of 28, he became one of the six original founding members of the Black Panther Party. The others were Bobby Seale, Huey Newton, "L'il" Bobby Hutton, Reggie Forte and Sherman Forte. Howard was an active member of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense from 1966 through 1974, and acted as the Party's "Deputy Minister of Information", often functioning as a lead spokesperson for the party while other members were imprisoned.

Post-party

After leaving the party in 1974, Howard returned to Tennessee. In

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

, he served on the boards of directors of several African American progressive educational institutions. In 2001, Howard self-published his memoir, ''Panther on the Prowl'', covering the rise and fall of the Black Panthers. In 2003, he was a coordinator for the All of Us or None Ex-Offender Program, and also was a member of the Millions for Reparations committee.

Later life

Until his death, Howard lived in

Forestville, California Forestville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sonoma County, California, United States. It was settled during the late 1860s and was originally spelled Forrestville after one of its founders. The spelling long ago became standardized with one ...

with his wife, Carole Hyams. They married in 2007. He was a founder of the Police Accountability Clinic & Helpline of

Sonoma County Sonoma County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 488,863. Its county seat and largest city is Santa Rosa. It is to the north of Marin County and the south of Mendocino ...

, and a board member of KWTF, a community radio station. As a lifelong lover of America's original musical art form,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

, he hosted jazz/blues programs at several radio stations. Howard died on July 23, 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Elbert 1938 births 2018 deaths Activists from California Members of the Black Panther Party Merritt College alumni People from Chattanooga, Tennessee People from Forestville, California Military personnel from Tennessee United States Air Force airmen Writers from Tennessee