On June 18, 1954, Eldridge Cleaver Took His First Trip To Soledad Prison On A Marijuana Possession Charge.
The Former Convict Went On To Become A Major Civil Rights Activist And Leader In The Black Panther Party. He Served As The Group's Minister Of Information.
Eldridge Cleaver Was born On August 31, 1935, In Wabbaseka, Arkansas. His Family Moved To Phoenix, And Finally To Los Angeles, Where Cleaver, In His Teens, Would Become Involved With Petty Crime. In 1957 He was Convicted Of Assault With Intent To Murder.
Cleaver's Book Of Memoirs From Prison, Soul On Ice (1968), Earned Him Credit As "one of the best cultural critics" Of The 1960's."
At One Point Cleaver Fled To Cuba To Avoid Another Term In Prison. He Spent Several Years In Exile There, As Well As In Algeria And France.
Upon Returning To The United States He Adopted Capitalism And Became A Republican And Fundamentalist Preacher. He Described His Political And Religious Conversions In The 1978 Book, Soul On Fire.
In The 1980's Cleaver Became Addicted To Cocaine. He Kicked His Habit And Became Involved In Fighting Addiction With Healthy Nutrition.
Cleaver Died Of Prostate Cancer In 1998. He Was 62 Years Old.
Eldridge Cleaver Is Generally Given Credit For The Quote, "You're either part of the solution or part of the problem."
"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.
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