Here's my reply (January 29, 2000) which pretty much summarizes what's come out about the rumor since then:
-----------------
As far as I can track this down in objective, reliable sources: Hillary Rodham, while at Yale, worked as an intern for an attorney who also defended Black Panthers. When Bobby Seale and Ericka Huggins were on trial near Yale, there were student demonstrations in support of them getting a fair trial. Hillary Rodham presided over a meeting of law students who were deciding how to respond to the demonstrations, the trial, and police gassing of demonstrators.
I have found no evidence that she actually was a lawyer defending these two, much less the people mentioned in the email you received. There's also no evidence I could find (other than this allegation) that Hillary organized the demonstrations, only that she was involved in chairing a meeting afterwards. I'd point out that several names are just plain wrong in the note forwarded to you, and the roles of the various people are quite confused, so that may indicate the reliability of other information in it. This is probably best categorized as "urban legend."
There was a woman lawyer for Huggins: Charles R. Garry defended Seale and Catherine Roraback defended Huggins.
George Sams, Lonnie McLucas and Warren Kimboro were the three Black Panthers who were directly connected with the shooting. Seale and Huggins were charged with associated crimes, though there was not a lot of evidence of their participation, which is why the Yale students organized "court watches" to be observers, and why there was a mass demonstration (at least one).
I've found a number of web sites which repeat versions of this story, but it's very much like the old game "rumor" where each has some of these details but they seem to change as the story is told and retold. Names are gradually shifted; accusations of Hillary Clinton organizing law students to be present at the trials to watch for civil rights abuses are called "defending" those accused, and this now seems to have turned into an accusation that she was the defense lawyer for two defendants whose names are even more badly mispelled.
It sounds like it must be an election year, doesn't it?
-----------------
For more on this "Just Ain't So Story" see David Emery's story on the Urban Legends site: Hillary Clinton and the Black Panthers - Smear Tactics on the Net (10/18/00)
More About Myths of Women's History:
- Myths Not History
- Bra Burning
- Lady Godiva's Ride
- Pope Joan
- Betsy Ross and the First American Flag
- Jane Fonda and the POWs
- Hillary and the Black Panthers
- Rule of Thumb for Wife-Beating
- Pocahontas Saving Captain John Smith from Execution
- Join the discussion: What's your favorite Ain't So Story about women's history? Add your two cents
Text copyright © 1999-2005 Jone Johnson Lewis .
