Panther Baby
An Interview with Jamal Joseph
by Sydney L. Murray
It is incredible to see how early life experiences, especially those of extreme adversity, affect a person’s many possible outlooks on life and our world. For Jamal Joseph, former Black Panther Party member, moving past adversities has helped him see the world in a more positive light—one of family, friends, community, and love.
Here is what Jamal shared with us:
Vision Magazine: How have your early experiences changed your life?
Jamal Joseph: I grew up without a father and found direction in the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Panther Party. I learned that community and cooperation can be created by like-minded people. I also learned that family goes way beyond genes and biology. Family, in the sense of safety, happiness, and growth, can also be created by people coming together.
VM: How has adversity made you who you are?
JJ: I spent close to 10 years in prison as a teenager and young man. An older prisoner gave me great advice when I first arrived. He said, “You can serve this time or you can let this time serve you.” I took the advice to heart and earned two college degrees behind the wall. I also became a poet and a writer and formed a theater company. Prison taught me that the mind can never be locked up and that the creative spirit can soar free. There are no chains that can bind a positive and no expiration date on dreams.
VM: Why do we have to go through hard times?
JJ: Hard times are the universe’s way of helping us see our greater selves. Diamonds are created when a lump of coal is subjected to years of extreme pressure. The challenges and losses of life help us grow toward greater truths and to appreciate the simpler moments.
VM: Our theme for February is Heart Mind. What does Heart Mind mean to you?
JJ: Heart Mind means stilling the busy thoughts of the active mind and listening to the energy of our loving heart. Some call it intuition, others inspiration. It comes down to the feeling of love and rightness that flows when our mind is guided by love and the spirit of humanity. Being a loving human being is what Heart Mind leads us to.
VM: How do you make the world a better place?
JJ: I set aside several days each week to work with young people (tweens and teens) in the creative arts. Impact is a youth theater program that I co-founded that stresses the ideals of SOS (saving ourselves) through the practice of Safe space, Outstanding effort, and Service to our family, friends, and community. When I was in the Black Panthers, I learned that the greatest act of revolution was love and service to others. For a short time, the Panthers led safety patrols in Oakland with guns. But the majority of the work in the Panthers was running free programs like the children’s breakfast programs and free health clinics. We would work 12-18 hours a day until we were exhausted. But we felt fulfilled by the knowledge that we were serving the community.
I try to pass the ideals of community love and service to young people through the creative arts.
Impact’s motto is, “Keep a positive thought because a positive thought cannot be denied!” Positive youth energy is truly our greatest natural resource.
VM: How can our hearts help us overcome adversity?
JJ: Our hearts will lead us to serve others. I know a group of mothers in Harlem who have lost children to gun violence. They have healed by mentoring other children and creating marches and events against gun violence. The heart knows that the best way to heal is through love. And the best way to express love is though service.Jamal Joseph is a writer, director, producer, poet, activist, and professor. His memoir, Panther Baby: A Life of Rebellion and Reinvention, will be available for purchase beginning February 2012. For more information, please visit www.jamaljoseph.com.
