Sekou Odinga

Nathanial Burns known better as Sekou Odinga is an American activist who was imprisoned for actions with the Black Liberation Army in the 1960s and 1970s.^[1]

In 1965 Sekou joined the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU), founded by Malcolm X. After Malcolm's death the OAAU was not going in the direction he wanted and in 1967 he was looking at the Black Panther Party. In early 1968 he helped build the Bronx Black Panther Party.

On January 17, 1969 two Panthers had been killed by police and a fellow New York Panther who was in police custody was brutally beaten. Sekou was informed that police were searching for him in connection with a police shooting. At that point Sekou joined the black underground with the Black Liberation Army.

He remained underground, partaking in revolutionary clandestine activity for twelve years until his capture. Upon being captured he was charged with six counts of attempted murder, nine predicate acts of Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization (RICO), including the liberation of Assata Shakur from prison and violent theft of an armored truck. He is serving a consecutive twenty-five years to life state sentence and a forty year federal sentence.^{[citation needed]}

The two Black Panthers murdered in January 17, 1969 in the grounds of UCLA were Alprentis "Bunchy" Carter and John Huggins. Both were UCLA students and leaders of the Los Angeles Black Panther Party Chapter.

Joan Bird, a New York Black Panther was brutally beaten by Manhattan Police officers prior to being booked. The arresting officers stated their prisoner had fallen during the arrest. Joan Bird was a pianist and music child prodigy who had headlined a solo performance at New York's prestigious Lincoln Theater when she was 19 years old. All charges against Joan Bird and Sekou Odinga were eventually cleared in the Panther 21 case (1969-1971). One of the longest (2 years) and most expensive criminal court trials in NY city. All 21 Black Panther Party members were found not guilty after 45 minutes of deliberation.

-The Briar Patch: The Trial of the Panther 21 by Murray Kempton -Agents of Repression by Ward Churchill -Perversions of Justice:The Prosecution and Acquittal of the Panther 21 by Peter L. Zimroth

Personal life

Odinga have eight children and so far they have had 18 children. He is also the son of late rapper Yaki Kadafi.

References

1. ^ Harvey E. Klehr (1990), Far Left of Center, pp. 115–118, ISBN 9780887388750, http://books.google.com/?id=8YSmiFins9sC