People in History: Eldridge Cleaver
Eldridge Cleaver served as the Minister of Information for the Black Panthers during the clamorous 1960's. He was the voice of the activist group, creating their slogans, and submitting articles in newspapers. Cleaver's essays Soul on Ice, was a best selling collection that he wrote during one of his prison terms. When he received parole in 1968, Eldridge ran for president under the Peace and Freedom Party ticket.
Early Life
Leroy Eldridge Cleaver was born in Wabbaseka, Arkansas, on the 31st of August 1935. Cleaver witnessed his father beating his mother at an early age, and there is no doubt this had a profound effect on him.
Soon after the family moved to Los Angeles California, Eldridge's father left the family, and never returned. Eldridge lived most of his adolescent years without a father figure.
In his teenage years, the police charged Eldridge with stealing a bicycle. Eldridge left for a reform school, and would continue there through the remainder of his school days. The bicycle incident was only the start of his run in with the law - in 1954, Eldridge had possession of marijuana, and was sent to prison.
Eldridge left prison for marijuana possession in 1957.
His freedom would not last long however, as he soon began raping numerous white and black women. Eldridge thought his raping of white women were "insurrectionary" rapes, because of the oppression from a system dominated by whites. In 1958, Eldridge was sentenced to prison for his crimes.
His heart began to change in this longer prison sentence. Eldridge began reading Malcom X, and honed his political philosophy. He wrote his essays for Soul on Ice, and rejected the anger that influenced him to commit so many rapes. Eldridge's lawyer had his essays published in Ramparts magazine, and the public began clamoring for Eldridge's release.
In 1966, Eldridge received parole, and soon after he joined the Black Panther movement. His influence was immediate, and Eldridge quickly became the voice of the group.
As Eldridge's influence began to grow, he decided to run for president. The election year was boisterous. It was the year of Martin Luther King Jr's assassination, race riots across the nation, the assassination of Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, and widespread opposition to the Vietnam War across university campuses. Eldridge never did gain much traction in the voting, and he suspended his presidential run after he had a shoot-out with police.
Rather than return to prison for his involvement in the shoot-out, Eldridge fled to Cuba.
Eldridge continued to flee across the world, but while in France, he had an experience with God, and said he was a born again Christian. He returned to the United States in 1975, and served community service for the prior shoot-out.
Eldridge changed political persuasion upon his return, and supported the presidential run of Ronald Reagan - whom he had previously opposed. After joining the Republican party, Eldridge ran for political office a few times, but never with any success.
In the last years of his life, Eldridge battled a cocaine addiction. He suffered a terrible head injury in 1984 that caused him to rethink what he was doing. He recommitted his life, and was baptized into the church of Latter Day Saints. Eldridge remained in good standing with them till his death on May 1, 1998, at the age of 62.
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