Meet Regina Jennings, PhD

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Regina Jennings, PhD a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Regina , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

I found my purpose when I joined the Black Panther Party for Self Defense in Oakland, California in 1967.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am an Elder, who as a teenager, at the age of 14, left home and after many abuses living on the mean streets of Philadelphia, caught a late plane from Philly to Oakland, California to join the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. It is from Huey P. Newton and Bobby G. Seale and other Panther leaders that I learned what it meant to be human, to be a Black Nationalist, to be a humanist, a fighter and lover of Black people. It is in that organization where I learned about People Power as I read books, I had never read before and heard the power of poetic spoken word. What I do now is a youtube show entitled “Readings with Regina” because I want to share what I have learned in the university and the world for free with my listeners and subscribers. Because I know that the mainstream media only reports a one-sided story, I want my listeners and subscribers to recognize the importance of alternative media and to know that they are empowered to solve some of the most terrible events sponsored by our government. For example, the many wars that our country is involved in; the inhumanity of elder abuse in prisons, keeping political prisoners incarcerated for decades. I am an active poetry reciter of my six books which include both poetry and academic writing. I am a promoter of the legacy of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense because my comrades are heroes for a Black nation that has been under siege since American enslavement of African people. I have just finished my first novel, entitled In Back of God’s Eye which should be available in a few months between November-December, 2025. I can be reached at www.apanthersister.com and on youtube “Readings with Regina” which comes on every Tuesday and Thursday at 2 pm.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The three qualities that enhanced my earthly journey, impacting it, of course includes joining the Black Panther Party for Self Defense where I learned the significance of reading literature about Black people and realizing one’s own personal power. What absolutely stands out most is learning about Malcolm X and listening to his speeches and observing his courage. This also goes for the Panther leaders that included Kathleen Cleaver, Ericka Huggins and many more. Our stories can be found in the recent photographic book Comrade Sisters. For young folk today, I say the following things: Recognize that you were sent to Earth for a reason or reasons. Work on what makes your heart sing. Be kind to everyone that you meet. Know that you are a catalyst for personal and social change. And lastly, become a life long learner in whatever field brings you forward.

How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?

I’m laughing because I’m already 75 years old, so I may only have a decade (hopefully more) left, so I live my life in gratitude for the learning I have imbibed and I genuinely have a good time with my old self on a daily basis. Once I awake, I am thankful that I made it through the night and not passed on to our next realm of reality. I then meditate so that I have an absolute connection with THEFORCESTHATSENTUS Here. I often have a to do list in my mind or written down of how I will spend my day which involves writing and planning speaking endeavors: poetry readings and prepping for my youtube show “Readings with Regina” and so forth. Regularly, before I wash and dress I do exercises, including weight training to keep fit and then I prepare my body for the day. I try to play my instruments regularly: the violin, guitar, and piano and afterwards I attempt to learn new techniques on my laptop as I honor the foods that I eat knowing that they come from THATMYSTERIOUSFORCE that sent me to Earth and because they give me strength. I normally have a class or two that I attend online: I’m into metaphysics and Western science and certainly I read books about Black America and Africa. I do restrict how and how much I eat because I want to stay as fit as I can in my senior years and I listen to music just about every day that I’m home. Because I was raised in part by my long gone Grandmother, about whom I know very little, so on weekends I go in search of her mostly through old movies that I watch on the weekends. I actually have a real popcorn machine in my home theater, so myself, friends or family have a joyful time watching and then discussing old films.Whatever feature in life touches my heart strings I indulge. And I am always on the lookout for more beautiful people to enter my life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.apanthersister.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinloweofficial/
• Youtube: “Readings with Regina”