Raymond "Masai" Hewitt (January 1, 1941 – March 2, 1988)[1] was an American civil rights activist and one of the leaders of the Black Panther Party.
Black Panther
Previous to joining the Black Panther Party, Hewitt worked as a school teacher and had been a Marxist activist, working with a group called United Front, a socialist organization which also taught self-defence to its members in the form of karate.[2] Hewitt joined the Black Panther Party in 1967 and was given the title of Minister of Education. Hewitt was considered by the Panthers to have a strong understanding of political and Marxist theory.[3]
Target of COINTELPRO
Hewitt was a target of COINTELPRO, a controversial FBI scheme intended to undermine radical organizations, which FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover had specifically directed to destroy the Black Panther Party.[4] In 1970, the FBI created the false story, from a San Francisco-based informant, that he impregnated married actress Jean Seberg.[5][6] Seberg was a supporter of the Black Panther Party, giving them a number of donations, and in the course of her interactions with the Panthers had befriended Hewitt. The story was reported by gossip columnist Joyce Haber of the Los Angeles Times,[7] and was also printed by Newsweek magazine.[8] Seberg went into premature labor and, on August 23, 1970, gave birth to a 4 lb (1.8 kg) baby girl. The child died two days later.[9] She held a funeral in her hometown with an open casket that allowed reporters to see the infant's white skin, which disproved the rumors.[10]
Seberg and her husband later sued Newsweek for libel and defamation, asking for US$200,000 in damages. She contended she became so upset after reading the story, that she went into premature labor, which resulted in the death of her daughter. A Paris court ordered Newsweek to pay the couple US$10,800 in damages and ordered Newsweek to print the judgment in their publication, plus eight other newspapers.[11]
Departure from the BPP
By January 1973, Hewitt had become critical of the ever-increasing domination of the Panthers by Huey Newton. In a meeting of the Party's Central Committee, Hewitt suggested that the Central Committee by that point served only to confirm Newton's decisions:
Personal life
Hewitt fathered one daughter with fellow Black Panther leader Elaine Brown.[12] Hewitt was married to activist Ester Soriano, with whom he had three sons.[14]
Death
On March 2, 1988, Hewitt suffered a heart attack while he watched the Grammy Awards on television with his wife.[15] He was taken to Midway Hospital where he died a short time later.[15]
References
- ↑
- ↑ Mitchell, John (March 11, 1988). "Ex-Panthers Reunite at Leader's Funeral". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
- ↑ Richards, David. Played Out: The Jean Seberg Story. Éditions Lacombe, 1982. p.234–38
- ↑ Munn, Michael. Clint Eastwood: Hollywood's Loner. Robson, 1992, p. 90.
- ↑ Richards, David. Played Out: The Jean Seberg Story. Éditions Lacombe, 1982, p. 239
- ↑ Richards, p. 247
- ↑ Richards, p. 253
- ↑ Friedrich, Otto (1975). Going crazy: An inquiry into madness in our time. New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 230. ISBN 0-671-22174-4.
- ↑ "Seberg awarded $20,000 in Newsweek libel suit". The Telegraph-Herald. October 26, 1971. p. 18. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
- 1 2 Brown, Elaine (1992). "'A Taste of Power': The Woman Who Led the Black Panther Party". longreads.com. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
- ↑ "Raymond "Masai" Hewitt 1941-1988" (PDF). March 1988. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
- ↑ "Ester Soriano, Mediator, Filipino activist, foreperson in Rodney King civil trial, dies at 61". meditate.com. April 20, 2008. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
- 1 2 Mitchell, John L. (March 11, 1988). "Ex-Panthers Reunite at Leader's Funeral". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
