Illuminating The Stories Of “Invisible Men”

WUNC | By Anita Rao,

Published March 16, 2017 at 12:17 PM EDT

Flores Forbes joined the Black Panther Party when he was just 16 years old. He became the youngest member of the Central Committee and eventually got involved in the party’s military arm.

A conversation with former Black Panther, now Columbia University administrator and author Flores Forbes about his new book, "Invisible Men: A Contemporary Slave Narrative in teh Era of Mass Incarceration".

In the late ‘70s, he was involved in an attempted murder plot and served five years in prison. While he was incarcerated, Forbes encountered Ralph Ellison’s novel “Invisible Man.” The concept of invisibility struck a chord with Forbes, and years later, it became the central premise for his new book: “Invisible Men: A Contemporary Slave Narrative in the Era of Mass Incarceration” (Skyhorse Publishing/2017).

In it, Forbes discusses his experience of reentry, and illuminates the struggles he, and other so-called “invisible men,” face as they try to rebuild their lives. Host Frank Stasio talks with Flores Forbes about his story and writing.

Flores Forbes at age 12, the year when he was briefly kidnapped by the police for a crime that he did not commit.

Flores Forbes with his mother at his college graduation in 1986. Forbes completed his degree after serving five years in prison for an attempted murder.