Synopses & Reviews
Lifelong activist Judy Gumbo, an original member of The Yippies, a 1960s anti-war satirical protest group, offers an insider feminist memoir of her involvement with the Yippies, Black Panthers, women's rights, environmental actions, and a life of activism.
In 1968, a 24-year-old woman moved to Berkeley, California and immediately became enmeshed in the Youth International Party, aka The Yippies, an anti-war satirical protest group. In the next few years, Judy Gumbo (a nickname given her by Eldridge Cleaver), was soon at the center of counter-cultural activity — from protests in People's Park, to meetings at Black Panther headquarters, to running a pig for President at the raucous Democratic National Convention in Chicago, a protest that devolved into violent attacks by the police and arrests that led to the notorious Chicago Conspiracy Trial.
In this historical account, Gumbo reveals intimate details of — and struggles with — her fellow radicals Jerry Rubin, Anita & Abbie Hoffman, Eldridge Cleaver, Paul Krassner, Stew Albert, and more, detailing their experiences in radical protests. This deep dive into her activism includes details of her organization of a national women's rights group, her visit to North Vietnam during the war, her travels around the globe to promote women's liberation and anti-war protest, and her environmental activism. It also includes extensive excerpts from illegal wiretaps and surveillance by the FBI.
Yippie Girl explores Gumbo's life as a protester to show that, while circumstances always change, protesters can stay loyal to the causes they believe in and remain true to themselves. She also reveals how dogmatism, authoritarianism, and interpersonal conflict can damage those same just causes, offering a timeless and strategic guide for activists today protesting against injustice in all its forms.
Review
"Judy Gumbo was a friend and ally of the Black Panther Party back in the day — she is my friend and ally now. Like me, Judy believes in All Power to the People — Black people, white people, brown people, yellow people, blue, red, green and polka dot people. The theater that Yippies and the left radical protest groups pulled — it was great. To be satirical about everything! I loved it. People's Park was about land equity against the power structure. It was democratic and socialized. Then I was put on trial at the great Chicago ConspiracyTrial of which I was the eighth defendant. I heard Bill Kunstler tell the other defendants: if you're not going to rise for Judge Hoffman you're going to jail. I told the defendants — You're my buddies. I don't want you dudes in jail. I want you out on the streets speaking up — saying Free Bobby! But the FBI repressed all those great moments that we were involved in. We have to get our history right. So young folks can see where we were coming from. These stories have got to be told. And Yippie Girl tells it like it is." Bobby Seale, founding chairman and national organizer of the Black Panther Party
Review
"Gumbo delivers a sharp-edged memoir of years of protest and resistance….A welcome addition to the literature of radical activism in the age of Johnson, Nixon, and beyond." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"The best account in existence of what life was like for a woman in the theatrical, goofy, messianic world of the Yippie boys….A fun read and a valuable political document, long overdue. It's cause for celebration." Jonah Raskin, Counterpunch
About the Author
Judy Gumbo is one of the few female members of the original Yippies, a satirical protest group who levitated the Pentagon to stop the Vietnam War, brought the New York Stock Exchange to a halt to ridicule greed and ran a pig named Pigasus for President at the 1968 Democratic Convention. Judy received her nickname Gumbo from Black Panther Party leader Elridge Cleaver. Judy went on to write for the Berkeley Barb and the Berkeley Tribe, helped start a women's group, visited the former North Vietnam in 1970 then travelled the globe agitating against the war and for the liberation of women. Judy has a Ph.D. in Sociology and spent the majority of her professional career as an award-winning fundraiser for Planned Parenthood. In 2013, Judy returned to Vietnam to help celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Paris Peace Accords. She returned to Vietnam again in 2019 where she was awarded a medal from the Vietnamese government for her contributions to peace and reconciliation. Judy is the widow of Yippie founder Stew Albert and of David Dobkin, a founder of Berkeley Cohousing. She is married to distinguished historian Arthur Eckstein. She currently lives in Berkeley, California.