Fred Hampton Jr.

Fred Hampton Jr. (born Alfred Johnson; December 29, 1969) is an American political activist who is the only child of Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton. He is the president and chairman of the Prisoners of Conscience Committee and the Black Panther Party Cubs.[1]

Fred Hampton Jr.
Hampton Jr. speaking at a 2018 anti-war rally in Oakland
Born
Alfred Johnson

(1969-12-29) December 29, 1969
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
OccupationActivist
Years active1988–present
Known forPrisoners of Conscience Committee/Black Panther Party Cubs
(Chairman)
Parent(s)

Biography

Hampton is the son of Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton and his fiancée, Deborah Johnson (now Akua Njeri).[2] Johnson was over eight months pregnant when Hampton Sr. was killed by the Chicago police in a 1969 raid, which occurred 25 days before he was born.[3]

He was given the name Alfred Johnson at birth. His mother had it legally changed to "Fred Hampton Jr." when he was ten years old.[4]

Hampton graduated from Tilden High School and sporadically studied journalism at Olive–Harvey College.[4] He worked part-time as an auto mechanic while speaking at rallies organized by the National People's Democratic Uhuru Movement (NPDUM) during the late 1980s.[4]

In 1993, he was convicted of aggravated arson. The case involved the firebombing of a Korean grocery store in the aftermath of the 1992 nationwide protests after the acquittal of the Los Angeles Police Department officers who beat Rodney King. Hampton was sentenced to eighteen years in prison, and was paroled on September 14, 2001.

Pop culture

Hampton made an appearance in Michel Gondry's 2006 film Dave Chappelle's Block Party.[5] His trial forms the basis of Fall Out Boy's song "You're Crashing, But You're No Wave".[6] He and his father are mentioned in the song "Behind Enemy Lines" by Dead Prez, as well as "Clap for the Killers" by Street Sweeper Social Club.

Hampton worked as a consultant on the film Judas and the Black Messiah, a biopic about his father, scheduled to be released in 2021.[2]

References
  1. "Honoring the legacy of an activist: Fred Hampton Jr. to speak, April 15". Illinois State University. April 1, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  2. Baca, Stacey (December 5, 2019). "Black Panther Fred Hampton killed 50 years ago in Chicago police raid". ABC 7 Chicago. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  3. Yang, Allie (May 15, 2019). "Black Panther Fred Hampton's then-girlfriend remembers the night he was assassinated". ABC News. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  4. Langer, Adam (July 9, 1998). "Radical Without A Cause". Chicagoreader.com. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  5. Dargis, Manohla (March 3, 2006). "A Comedian's Ultimate Goal: Rock the Block". The New York Times.
  6. "Fall Out Boy Album Deets". RollingStone.com. November 16, 2006. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2011.


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