Elaine Brown is a former leader of the Black Panther Party, as Minister of Information then Chairman. She is the author of A Taste of Power and The Condemnation of Little B. A Taste of Power, her autobiography, was optioned by Robbie Brenner Productions (Dallas Buyers Club) for production of a feature film, slated to start filming in 2022, with distribution by Netflix; and, was just published in June 2021 as a new audiobook by Audible and in January 2022 by Penguin/Random House UK.
Elaine is Executive Director of the Michael Lewis Legal Defense Committee, supporting the legal appeal of Lewis (“Little B”), who, arrested in 1997 in Atlanta, Georgia, at the age of 13 for a murder he did not commit, was convicted and sentenced as an adult to life in prison, where he remains. A motion for a new trial is pending.
Elaine is CEO of the non-profit organization Oakland & the World Enterprises, Inc. (OAW), dedicated to launching and sustaining for-profit businesses for cooperative ownership by formerly incarcerated and other people facing extreme barriers to economic survival. The organization acquired a three-quarter-acre property in West Oakland, California, where it established its first business, an urban farm. In late 2021, it launched its second business, a food truck. OAW is developing the property to build four businesses and 79, 100% affordable housing units, projected for ground-breaking in early 2022.
Elaine studied classical piano for many years, including at the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music, and has recorded two albums of original songs, one for Motown records. Elaine’s papers are archived at Emory University.