Surviving Solitary: Black Panther Party Veteran Ericka Huggins’ Healing Practices against Carceral Violence

Black Panther Party (BPP) veteran Ericka Huggins began her incarceration at Niantic State Prison (now York Correctional Institution) in 1969 on murder, kidnapping, binding, and conspiracy charges. Following her two-year incarceration, a mistrial was declared, and her charges were dismissed. During her imprisonment, she endured cruel treatment by prison guards. She responded by embracing restorative care practices to survive solitary. This paper charts the less familiar prison narrative of Huggins’ time in solitary confinement and her resistance involving physical and spiritual wellness. Through an analysis of her prison conditions, state surveillance, and the violence she and other BPP women suffered by prison guards, Huggins’ journey of spiritual enlightenment and self-discovery inside prison walls is explored. Her incarceration exemplifies the critical role of spiritual growth and its interconnections with social activism in the lives of black women political prisoners. She offers a new model for understanding the BPP and Black Power through care work and healing.