CLEO SILVERS: A Black Panther & Young Lord Warrior Woman

By Carlos “Carlito” Rovira

On November 24, 1946, an unsung woman warrior named Cleo Deborah Silvers was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sadly, on Monday, August 11, 2025, Cleo passed away due to an infectious condition that resulted in multiple organ failure. She is survived by her beloved husband and close comrade, Ron Painter.

Cleo was a revolutionary in the truest sense. Like all human beings Cleo had many traits, good and bad. However, her unique positive quality that defined her character was always striving to be a critical thinker. The state of the liberation struggle was usually at the center of her thoughts.

Cleo did not allow herself to be lured into the same toxic petty discourse the police state once used to destroy the Black Panther Party and Young Lords. She was well aware that the disruptive activities against the progressive movement, such as COINTELPRO, continue to the present day.

There were hardships in Cleo’s family history. They were among the millions of African Americans that partook in the Great Migration of the 1920s-1970s. Black people were compelled to uproot in an exodus to the Northern region and West coast to escape the racist terror of the Ku Klux Klan in the Southern states.

This was a period in U.S. history when blatantly racist Jim Crow laws were enacted throughout the South, while at the same time a not-so-hidden persecutive version existed in every part of the country. Although “Whites Only” signs were not the norm in Northern states what resulted from white privilege automatically implied anti-Black restrictions.

Cleo always recalled how she witnessed as a child anti-Black racism and discrimination. A cruel example that stood vividly in her childhood memories is when Black children were not allowed at department stores to partake on lines to give “Santa Claus” their Christmas gift wish list. Cleo’s mother, Deborah Benn, vocally expressed outrage, pressuring store managers to end the racist practice.

Cleo’s resilience in personal encounters with racism and her justified contempt for this system is what molded this freedom fighter’s character. Like so many Black youths during the 1960’s, Cleo Silvers was attracted to the political militant force of the Black Power movement, specifically Malcolm X, Queen Mother Moore, Kwame Ture (Stokley Carmichael), and the Black Panther Party (BPP).

Sister Cleo’s history of service in the liberation struggle is unique and merits the utmost respect and admiration. Moreover, she was a hospital worker and an organizer for the Health Revolutionary Unity Movement (HRUM).

As a healthcare activist Cleo co-founded the Lincoln Hospital Detox Center and became its acting director. She was a close ally and collaborator of the late Black nationalist Dr. Mutulu Shakur, who she hired for a position that required professional knowledge of acupuncture treatment for drug addiction.

Heroine addiction was at the center of concern and political critique for the Black Panther Party and Young Lords due to the influx of the deadly drug in Black and Latino communities across the country.

Before joining the YLP, Cleo was a member of the Black Panther Party first in Harlem and then in the Bronx branch. Due to the fraternal relationship between the BPP and YLP, it allowed members of both entities to transfer to the other organization on request. Cleo did precisely that.

Cleo’s decision to join the YLP came about when an unfortunate situation was about to occur which had a chilling effect on the entire revolutionary movement in this country. A factional split was developing headed by Eldridge Cleaver on one side and Huey P. Newton on the other. The FBI’s Operation COINTELPRO succeeded in manipulating internal differences to the point of open antagonisms.

Cleo was among African American members in the YLP who demonstrated their internationalist and revolutionary spirit, when they joined a predominant Puerto Rican entity. Cleo’s experiences in these revolutionary organizations defined her political perspective on the need to forge a united front to defeat capitalism.

THE YLP LINCOLN HOSPITAL TAKEOVER

In the early morning hours of July 14^th, 1970, the YLP takeover of Lincoln Hospital angered top government officials. The Young Lords’ unexpected bold action managed to expose to the world the criminal practices of the medical industrial complex.

In military fashion, about one hundred Young Lords stormed out of a U-HAUL truck that came to a full stop on Lincoln Hospital’s sallyport, on Bruckner Boulevard in the Black and Brown community of the South Bronx. Within minutes Young Lords secured every entrance and window in the hospital to prevent the police from entering the facility when they arrived.

Once it became known to news media outlets what occurred at Lincoln Hospital then NYC Mayor John Lindsay sounded the alarm of attacks against the Young Lords. The rulers went into crisis mode due to the political embarrassment they faced. The YLP exposed the implicit policy for racketeering corporate profits using supposed “healthcare” for poor people who endure diseases that stem from social oppression.

Thanks to Cleo’s political skillfulness and familiarity with Lincoln Hospital’s physical structure, she was one of the key strategists of the takeover. When the Young Lords leadership decided to end the occupation with an organized retreat it was Cleo who is credited for proposing that the plan to withdraw include waiting for the shift change of hospital workers and, using the available supply of attire worn by medical staff to inconspicuously bypass the anxious riot police.

Since the events of the 1960’s-70’s mass upsurge, Sister Cleo continued to stay active and outspoken about the inadequacies in healthcare for Black and Brown people. In addition, she played a role in efforts demanding the freedom of political prisoners, specifically, captive Black Panthers like Mumia Abu-Jamal, the late Russell Maroon Shoatz, and the late Dr. Mutulu Shakur.

Along with Iris Morales, Cleo was among the sisters who created the Woman’s Caucus. This organ of the YLP structure empowered the females of the organization and helped the men understand many complex theoretical questions relevant to the liberation struggle, such was the interlocked relationship between patriarchy and white supremacy.

The legacy of this warrior woman is filled with many examples of resilience and valor, which impacted many young people inside and outside of the YLP. No matter the activity, in the internal political education discussions or community organizing, Cleo always had a presence.

Cleo’s knowledge of one of capitalism’s most vile features, the medical industrial complex earned her recognition from various mainstream circles, including UCLA and the City University of New York/Lehman College where she received in 2022 an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters.

There was an aspect of her personal life Cleo was open about, her love and devotion to her husband and close comrade, Ron Pointer. As her medical condition became more debilitating Ron’s constant care and devotion supported Cleo until she transitioned. As Cleo often stated “Without Ron there would be no Cleo.”

This sister was among several Young Lords, men and women alike, who played a significant role in my formative political development, for which I am eternally grateful. Cleo has undoubtedly secured a special place in the archives of the class struggle along with Black and Puerto Rican revolutionary history.

Long Live Black & Puerto Rican Solidarity!