Goodnight Kiilu Nyasha

(PHOTO: Kiilu proudly wears her Mumia shirt)

Goodnight Kiilu Nyasha

Written by Mumia Abu-Jamal

(April 16, 2018)

To people in California’s north, the name Kiilu Nyasha is familiar, like an aunt or another relative. To them, she was a voice of resistance, heard on public radio, and on her television show called “Freedom is a Constant Struggle.” To former members of the Black Panther party, she was Sister Kiilu, a former member of the New Haven chapter.

During the murder trial of Bobby Seale and Ericka Huggins in 1970,  Sister Kiilu served as a legal assistant to attorney Charles Garry, who defended many top Panthers. During the trial, Kiilu was known as Pat Gallyot.  

After the party, she suffered from “polymyositis,” extreme muscle inflammation that left her in a wheelchair. Yet polymyositis never stopped her or defined her. She became an immensely talented artist. She worked as a journalist, commentator and a host of radio shows. 

She worked for years as a supporter of Hugo “Yogi” Pinell, the late political prisoner. She was an endless and brilliant source of resistance to the system. She became a beloved and respected elder for young people in the Bay Area.

We remember Kiilu Nyasha: mother, artist,  commentator, revolutionary inspiration.

(Artwork by Kiilu Nyasha depicts Ruchell Magee, Jonathan Jackson, and George Jackson)

(Artwork by Kiilu Nyasha depicts Mumia Abu-Jamal alongside Hugo "Yogi Bear" Pinell and Albert "Nuh" Washington.)