Safiya Bukhari

About the Author

Safiya Bukhari was a pioneering activist, writer, and revolutionary whose life embodied the fierce commitment to justice and equality in the face of systemic oppression. Born in the Bronx and raised in a world of racial injustice, she joined the Black Panther Party in the late 1960s, becoming a key figure in its community programs and armed self-defense efforts. Arrested in 1975 on charges she maintained were politically motivated, Bukhari spent years in prison, where she continued her advocacy, organizing for prisoners' rights and against the exploitation of incarcerated women. Her seminal work, The War Before: The True Life Story of Becoming a Black Panther, Keeping the Faith in Prison, and Fighting for Those Left Behind, chronicles her unyielding spirit and the broader struggle for Black liberation. Even after her release, she founded organizations to support political prisoners and mentored a new generation of activists until her passing in 2003, leaving a legacy of resilience and radical love.