Joan Tarika Lewis

From "CrowdFunding: Indie Film Project ‘Lady Panther Bow or Bullet’"

When you think of female leaders within the Black Panther Party the name Angela Davis is often evoked. Before Angela Davis, there was Tarika Lewis.
Black Panther Chairman Bobby Seale has identified Tarika Lewis as the first female to officially join the Black Panther Party.  In the upcoming independent film Lady Panther “Bow or Bullet” written by Alice ‘Nikki’ Johnson-Muhammad (a 40 year veteran of the entertainment), Lady Panther’s story will finally be told.

From Billy X

Tarika Lewis was the first Sister to join the BPP for Self Defense back in 1967. Known at that time as Matilaba, joining as a student @ Oakland Tech. She helped bring many students from Tech into the party and helped Tech to establish the first BSU in the city.  Tarika has always been a mufti talented person her roots run deep in Oakland.  Her father a former Black Businessmen and Gym owner  was a middleweight champ back in the day.
Tarika  is also a talented violin player and has traveled the world playing in the Legendary John Handy's Band.

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• page 307 The Black Panther Party (reconsidered) By Charles Earl Jones
• Oxford African American Studies Center
  • visual artist, musician, author, and political activist, was born Joan Angela Lewis in Oakland, California, to John Henry Lewis and ...