It was clear that the prosecutor wanted to get all the blacks off, but I was an acceptable black.

I was living in the hills.

I was working in the largest bank in the world.

What do I know about poor black folk?

The defense did not want me on the jury.

The defense thought I was oblivious to being black.

But in this country, you're never oblivious to being black.

They needed to have at least one black on the jury.

So I was the prosecution's token black.

The composition of the Huey Newton jury was a breakthrough because it wasn't just predominantly white men, which historically had meant they accepted the dominant view of the prosecution.

If you don't have a true cross-section, you can't have the truth, you only have half the truth or a quarter of the truth.

It was absolutely pioneering to have the diversity of the jury.

It just was unheard of.

Now, when I got on the jury, then I had to figure out how to become foreman the jury.

I knew how to establish leadership.

And the way I did it was that there were some strong women.

They played dirty hearts card game.

I got thier respect because I knew how to play it and I would beat them.

And then I went to them a little bit nicely and when we got into the jury room, I was immediately selected as foreman.

We needed a scapegoat.

That's what they didn't say, but I'm pretty sure that was on their mind.

It was a shock that a black had been chosen as a foreman of this highly explosive, very important international trial.

And I think all I could think about then, this is a brave man because he's entering an arena where either side is used to guns.

And in others, the battle goes on.

I did not believe that Newton was going to get justice.

That's why I said I'm going to sacrifice the rest of my career, my life, my family, to make sure that we have justice.

And if he does have justice and he lives, that's going to be a big thing.

But if he has justice and he dies, he dies for what he did in a fair trial.