Glistening with sweat, she ran to the injured woman’s side, hoping to pull her away from angry marchers and police batons. Suddenly, SHE was being dragged down the street by police!
Terrified, she fought back. She knew what could happen in jail.
Having risen to leadership of the British Black Panther Party after its founder was jailed, Altheia Jones-LeCointe had organized this march to show the world how UK police were brutalizing Black Brits, especially at the Black-owned Mangrove restaurant.
Now she was yet another victim of their brutality.
Her defiance was just too powerful – she was charged with “conspiracy to incite a riot.”
Up against a racist criminal justice system that aimed to silence her for good, she decided to defend herself in court! She wasn’t a lawyer, but she bravely faced the British legal system. But would her gamble pay off?
They were NOT prepared for her powerful strategic thinking! She argued for an all-Black jury, dismissed 63 racist jurors, and ultimately pleaded not only her case but the plight of all Black British people. Her eloquence and power astounded everyone. When she finished, the room was silent.
Jones-LeCointe’s powerful self-defense achieved the first official acknowledgment that “racial hatred” existed in the Metropolitan police!
We continue her fight against racist officials across the world, challenging a system that routinely fails to represent us. How are you using YOUR voice to challenge the system?