It was Chaka Khan who joined the Hue P. Newton and Bobby Seale led Black Panther movement. Before Chaka became the powerhouse singing soul diva that we know her to be, she’d become a Panther at 16 years old. After always having what she describes as “irreconcilable differences” with her Mother at that time, she ran away from home and decided to join that movement.

Here’s what she revealed about her time as a Black Panther:

“They mostly had me, ’cause I was a young chick. I was in high school, so they didn’t really bestow really heavy duty stuff on me. I could sell papers. I started a free breakfast for children program. I did that every morning, before I went to school. I usually missed my first class because of it!”

Her former school dedicated a room to her, which she would never have predicted. “I didn’t think I’d make it through.” She dropped out of high school and decided to take on an African name, Chaka. It means “woman of fire.” And when she married bass player Hassan Khan, Chaka Khan was born.

Chaka said she watched “The Battle Of Algiers” repeatedly during her Black Panther days. That film was about Algerian resistance to French colonialism that became iconic among black activists keen to link their struggles in America to the wider world. She also started a cultural group called The Shades Of Black, whose members wore turbans and baked their own bread. An Yoruba priest at the Afro-Arts Theatre she attended gave her a new, very long name: Chaka Adunne Aduffe Yemoja Hodarhi Karifi. She eventually decided to just keep Chaka and drop the other 5 names, which I’m personally happy about because there is no way her fans would have ever been able to get all of them right and could you imagine how they would have announced her name at award shows, like the Grammy’s? Okay I’m sidetracking a lil’ bit, but you get my point, right?

Here is why Chaka decided to leave the Black Panther Party:
“I acquired a gun at one time and right then I realized it was not really for me, so I threw it in a pond somewhere.”

Apparently Chaka forgot to throw all of her guns in the pond because she certainly seemed to have an extra one lying around when she shot several rounds at her husband back in the day, but I digress. If you don’t know the story behind that, let’s just say that Chaka didn’t take no mess, just like ‘The Godfather of Soul’ James Brown.

Speaking of our girl Chaka, turn the page check out 7 Old School Fun Facts she revealed about her former drug addiction, which Hollywood actor she has her eye on, and more things that you didn’t know about her…