Diksha Sundriyal
Apple TV+’s ‘The Big Cigar’ retraces the events in the life of Huey P. Newton. From the time when he and Bobby Seale laid the foundation of the Black Panther Party to when Huey was accused of killing a sex worker and forced to flee the country, the show takes the audience back and forth in time to give us a glimpse of the complicated life led by the divisive figure. Because there is so much to bring to the screen within a limited number of episodes, there are a few things that the Apple TV+ series glosses over by only subtly touching on the subject but not going into many details. His love for children is one of those things.
Huey Newton Didn’t Have Biological Children of His Own
For a political figure who lived as fraught a life as his, Huey Newton didn’t get to enjoy family time as well as he would have preferred. His marriage with Gwen Fontaine crumbled after a few years together, and it took a lot of time for him and Fredrika, whom he had been in love with for a long time, to end up together, but they didn’t get more than a few years together. During this time, from both of his marriages, Huey had no biological children. Rather, he welcomed Gwen’s two children, Ronnie and Jessica, and Fredrika’s son, Kieron, from their prior relationships with open arms. Both women attested that Huey held a special love for children.
Fredeika revealed that Huey was “a wonderful father” to Kieron and was “at his best when with children,” something she saw as a sign of a good character. Kieron, who was barely ten when his mother and Huey officially tied the knot, revealed that the three of them had some great times together. He described Huey as “super nice” and “super jokey,” and to him, it seemed that “being around kids allowed [Huey] to explore the childlike part of himself.” Kieron also noted that Huey had the ability to switch his personality based on the conversation at hand immediately. He could be playing jovially with the children but get immediately serious when the conversation needed a more intellectual approach. He described Huey as “flipping the switch” to match the tone of the conversation.
Huey didn’t need to have children of his own to know that they were the future and needed to be uplifted in order to take society forward. Of the many programs launched by the Black Panther Party, several were targeted at children. From helping them get a proper education to making sure they were not going hungry, the party was dedicated to making things better for the young ones. He is also credited with creating the concept of the Intercommunal Youth Institute that eventually turned into the Oakland Community School. Over the years, several people have claimed to have a connection with Huey Newton, with a few claiming to be his biological children. However, the claims haven’t been officially recognized and cannot be held under consideration.
Read More: Were Huey Newton and Richard Pryor Friends in Real Life?
