Tarika Lewis ’67

Tarika Lewis, Class of 1967, is generally recognized as the first woman to officially join the Black Panther Party. At Oakland Tech, Lewis co-founded the Black Student union, which staged sit-ins for Black Studies courses. After high school, she abandoned her plans to become a jazz violinist and joined the BPP. As a Panther, Lewis recalled that her “duty was to open the eyes of the people, to give them hope, courage, understanding; to teach, guide, and pull the cover off what was going on and what should be done about it.”