Safiya Bukhari (formerly known as Bernice Jones) was a dedicated community activist and former political prisoner. She joined the Black Panther Party in November, 1969. She and other activists formed the “National Committee to Defend Political Prisoners”. Even as a member of the BPP, Safiya became a citizen of the Republic of New Afrika and took on Islam as her religion and found great strength in the spirituality it embodied.
In 1974, Safiya was subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury in a case against the Black Liberation Army. She refused to testify and went underground, joining the ranks of the BLA. In January 1975, she was captured, convicted and sentenced to 40 years. On December 21, 1976, Safiya escaped from the Virginia Correctional Centre for Women. She was re-captured on February 21, 1977 and returned to prison. On August 22, 1983, she made parole. Following her release, Safiya worked on the cases of political prisoners, including the New York Three and Mumia Abu-Jamal. By 1998, she along with others founded the “Jericho Amnesty Movement” to free all political prisoners. Safiya died on August 24, 2003 at age 53.
Safiya’s exemplary life and spirit will be a shining light for us for decades to come.
