“A new photobook recalls the crucial but often overlooked role
played by women in the Black Panther party” — The Guardian
“… I
guarantee this book will give you a new respect for a generation of
women militants.” — Socialist Worker
“Comrade
Sisters pairs Stephen’s intimate, incisive, and inspiring
portraits and documentary photographs with testimonies from many
surviving members and their kin.” — i-D France
“Historically
illuminating photos of women Black Panthers.” — The Washington
Post
Many
of us have heard these three words: Black Panther Party. Some know
the Party’s history as a movement for the social, political,
economic and spiritual upliftment of Black and indigenous people of
colour – but to this day, few know the story of the backbone of the
Party: the women.
It’s
estimated that six out of ten Panther Party members were women. While
these remarkable women of all ages and diverse backgrounds were
regularly making headlines agitating, protesting, and organizing,
off-stage these same women were building communities and enacting
social justice, providing food, housing, education, healthcare, and
more. Comrade Sisters is their story.
The
book combines photos by Stephen Shames, who at the time was a
20-year-old college student at Berkeley. With the complete trust of
the Black Panther Party, Shames took intimate, behind-the-scenes
photographs that fully portrayed Party members’ lives. This marks
his third photo book about the Black Panthers and includes many never
before published images.
Ericka
Huggins, an early Party member and leader along with Bobby Seale and
Huey Newton, has written a moving text, sharing what drew so many
women to the Party and focusing on their monumental work on behalf of
the most vulnerable citizens. Most importantly, the book includes
contributions from over 50 former women members – some well-known,
others not – who vividly recall their personal experiences from
that time. Other texts include a foreword by Angela Davis and an
afterword by Alicia Garza.
All
Power to the People.