Description
Elbert "Big Man" Howard was a civil rights activits, journalist, and author. He was one of the founding members of the Black
Panther Party for Self-Defense.
Background
Elbert "Big Man" Howard was born on January 5, 1938 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In 1954 Howard joined the Air Force and was
a firefighter on a crash-rescue team at an airbase near Verdun, France. After leaving the Air Force in 1960 Howard became
a student at Merritt College in Oakland, California. In 1966 he was one of the six founding members of the Black Panther Party
for Self-Defense, along with Reggie Forte, Sherman Forte, Bobby Hutton, Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. At the time he was
a student at Merritt College in Oakland. He served as the editor of the Black Panther newspaper, the Deputy Minister of Information
and the central strategist for community programs. He also wrote articles for the Black Panther Party newspaper under the
moniker 'Brother Dynamite'. He traveled around the United States helping to establish BPP chapters and to Europe and Japan
as a spokesperson for the BPP. In 1974 Howard left the BPP and worked in retail in Virginia and Tennessee. He also worked
with several organizations in Memphis focused on improving education and health care. Howard moved to Sonoma County and in
2007 married Carole Hyams, who had worked at the Berkeley Free Clinic as a volunteer from 1969-1970 and was also a community
worker for the BPP. Hyams first met Big Man in early 1969. Howard was involved with a number of community organizations focused
on police brutality, peace, and social justice, including Police Accountability Clinic & Helpline of Sonoma County. He also
co-founded KWTF a community radio station, was a radio dj promoting jazz and blues, and was a journalist. Elbert "Big Man"
Howard died July 23, 2018 in Santa Rosa, California.
Extent
11 Linear Feet
(12 manuscript storage boxes, 1 half manuscript storage box, 2 record storage boxes and 4 flat boxes, 1 map folder)
Restrictions
While Special Collections is the owner of the physical items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization
to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission or reproduction
beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns.
Availability
Open for research. Note that material must be requested at least 36 hours in advance of intended use. Audiovisual & born-digital
materials are not available in original format, and must be reformatted to a digital use copy.