Field Marshall DC by Billy X
I was in San Francisco at Emory Douglas' home when Barbara
Cox called to tell me that DC (Donald Cox) had died in his sleep in
France. I felt very bad as I told Emory the news. I was feeling pretty good up
to that point. We were talking to some young actors about a play they
wanted to do on the BPP. I also told them, as they were very interested
in the history of the Party. In fact they asked about DC
earlier. I told Emory that this is a bad day in our Legacy of
the BPP; that we lost a good soldier. DC was the Field Marshall of the
BPP. His responsibilities included checking out the many (48) BPP
offices to make sure they were able to defend themselves and were carrying out
the correct principles of the Party.
Everyday last week, I was in communication with Kathleen Cleaver
and Barbara Cox about an exhibit I am putting together on the World Impact of
the Black Panther Party. Last year we were in Tanzania for a Conference
we cosponsored with the UAACC. While there, Pete O'Neal gave me some
photos for the It's About Time Archives. The photos were taken at the
International Section of the BPP in Algiers from 1970-1972 while DC was
there.. These are the only photos I know of from the BPP Embassy.
Pete and Charlotte O'Neal worked there for a while before moving to
Tanzania in 1972.
Many of the photos were of Panthers and people I didn't know,
so everyday I would send photos to Kathleen and Barbara, and
they would e-mail back their comments. Just the other day I e-mailed some
pictures of DC at the embassy with African Leaders and a photo of Yasser Arafat
with DC. So everyday we would communicate about the International Section and
DC.
I first saw DC at some rallies at the Alameda County
Courthouse in 1968 and at Bobby Hutton Park. I didn't know his name until I
joined the BPP. He worked out of National HQ's and San Francisco was his
base. He worked out of the office in the Fillmore. DC was highly respected in
the Party and on campus at SF State and the streets of SF.
In 1968 I worked out of the E. Oakland office which was run by
Captain Robert Bay. He was also a student at SF State. In 1968,
the BSU led a strike at SF State College for an Ethnic Studies Dept. The
college was the scene of a big strike and we as Party members supported the
Black Students on campus. We would ride over to the campus in full Panther gear
to show support for the strike. I would see DC on campus in support of the
students and also George Murray who was our Minister of Education of the BPP.
George also taught English at the college and was fired for his support of the
students.
As time went on I would see DC at Political Education Classes
which were held at the National HQ's. DC was always well dressed, but he was
very quiet. He was a very private person but open and friendly at the same
time.
A few years back, Gail and I went to visit DC in France which
was great trip. We drove from Nice to the mountain that was up
in the clouds to see DC. He lived way up there in a beautiful home he
rebuilt. It was large and had octagon windows with a breathtaking
view. In the far background from his living room window you could see an
old castle on a ridge miles away. He said the house was first built in
the1840's, but he added on the modern things like inside plumbing and
showers in the bathroom. He built a nice communication center, with all
the modern toys. He had a PC, a radio and record player with albums.
He also had a DVD and CD player, but not cable TV. He watched the
news twice a day in the morning and evening. He spent his
time gardening and growing flowers to sell to perfume companies.
This home was part of a farming commune, but most of the people moved away
to the city. DC loved the peace and quiet and didn't mind being by
himself.
Barbara said he was working in his garden earlier in
the day. He was starting to turn over the soil to prepare for
spring. On our visit with DC we spent a lot of time talking about the
mistakes of the BPP. He told me he liked the website, and that it was a good
thing a Rank and File member ran it, to keep the facts straight. After a few
days we had to leave DC which was sad. He got us
interested in castles and the way they were defended. He was a great
historianand he studied the history of where he lived and even found
some old coins while digging to put the plumbing in his house. The
coins were so old that it took him a while to find out about them. They were
from the 1200's.
I loved DC for what he stood for. To me he was
a rare individual and has always been one of my hero's because he
lived by his principles and taught by example. On several occasions, the
government tried to kill him., like when they raided the SF office.
Everybody that I know respected DC. If he had your back, he had
your back, a man of his word. I will miss my brother. For those of you whom
never knew DC, please check his link on our website. Check under Field Marshall
and check Our Stories chapter 5: Barbara Cox story.