‘My Parents Were on the FBI’s Most Wanted List, This Is How My Childhood Was Lived’
Photo source, Zayd Ayers Dohrn
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“When I was a child, they gave me revolutionary education… they taught me how to spot plainclothes police and FBI agents in a crowd… they taught me how to speak in secret codes on the phone… to me, it was like a game.”
Zayd Ayers Dohrn’s childhood was unlike any other.
His bedroom walls had no pictures of Disney characters. Instead, there were posters of Che Guevara and Ho Chi Minh. For years, he could not attend primary school. Marshmallows were forbidden on family outings. At least once, they purposely toured a federal prison to study security before planning a jailbreak.
Both Parents on the Most Wanted List
Zayd’s mother, Bernardine Dohrn, was one of the most wanted fugitives by the FBI when he was born. She was a member of the radical anti-war group Weather Underground, which targeted key government buildings like the Capitol, the Pentagon, and the State Department with coordinated bombings to protest discrimination and racial injustice in the US.
His father, Bill Ayers, was a co-founder of the group.
As a result, the family lived undercover, constantly changing residences and remaining vigilant to avoid capture.
Photo source, Bettmann Archive/Getty Images
This was normal for Zayd.
“I knew the FBI was after us. They never lied to me about it. They explained it in a way a child could understand. We were an illegal group taking from the rich to give to the poor.”
Both his parents came from comfortable white middle-class families. His mother was an intelligent law student at the University of Chicago, but she became active in the rent strike campaign when Martin Luther King Jr visited the city in 1966. This experience cemented her belief that America needed fundamental change.
The assassination of King and the police killing of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton pushed her further towards radical politics.
“I think the killing pushed my mother and many others toward extremism. She saw Hampton not only as a friend but also an ideal. Her own government had killed him.”
Photo source, Getty Images
His father was drawn to the group due to the Vietnam War and military draft issues.
“Back then, their slogan was ‘Bring the war home.’ Meaning, bring the violence of the Vietnam War into American cities through protests so people would become aware of what the government was doing abroad, to African Americans, and to its own leaders.”
Bomb in a Bag
Photo source, Gado/Getty Images
Today, it seems unimaginable that small groups of mostly middle-class students could carry out bombings at heavily guarded government buildings, but Zayd believes youth, race, and education gave the group an edge.
Women, playing assistant roles, would gain access to government buildings and gather intelligence. They would hide explosives in places unsuspected, like women’s restrooms.
Zayd says, “They had the advantage of being college-educated, well-spoken, and could slip out of power centers without drawing much attention.”
The privileges related to their racial background also helped the group form an alliance with the Black Liberation Army, distinct from the Black Panther Party. White activists used their reach and invisibility to aid Black activists. They also transported fugitives following jailbreaks and other illegal acts.
Photo source, Bettmann/Corbis photo via FBI
A Different Childhood
As Zayd grew older, the family’s underground existence shaped his childhood. Due to lack of formal identification documents, he could not attend school.
Most of his friends were children of other activists.
His childhood was otherwise similar to other American children’s — including road trips, family visits, and camping.
But even these activities were tinged with revolutionary elements.
“We never visited Disneyland, the US Capitol, or places like that. My parents took me to sites of revolutionary struggle — where their heroes died, where Fred Hampton was killed by the police, where John Brown was hanged, and where Nat Turner led a slave revolt. These visits showed where they were fighting against injustice.”
Later, Zayd realized these family trips had a different purpose. One of their hideouts was less than a kilometer from a federal prison holding a Black Panther member. The visits were part of plans to help fugitives escape.
Photo source, Zayd Ayers Dohrn
Zayd says his parents made real efforts to prevent physical harm, conducting bombings in empty buildings with prior warnings. But he acknowledges that once a movement becomes violent, damage is sometimes unavoidable.
Before he was born, one of his father’s girlfriends and two other group members died while making bombs. As a child, he understood these dangers.
“I was truly worried. Many of my friends had lost their parents. Lots of parents had been in jail for a long time.”
Photo source, Getty Images
‘I Am Proud’
Now a parent himself, Zayd has spent years reflecting on his parents’ choices.
He compares their ideology to those who voluntarily enlist in the military — believing they are fighting against their own government and accepting the personal consequences.
“In many ways, I am proud of them. At a time when many white Americans stood by injustice doing nothing, my parents insisted something had to be done.”
But Zayd struggles to imagine leaving his own children at home while engaging in activities such as bank robberies or jailbreaks.
“But I feel that is also an opportunity. Many people in this world have no option but to fight oppression and injustice even if it means risking their families.”
Photo source, Zayd Ayers Dohrn
After his younger brother was born, Bernardine surrendered under an agreement hoping to pursue a normal life for the family.
Early illegal and unethical methods used by the FBI during investigations led to Bernardine facing no prison time. However, after refusing to testify against other Weather Underground members, she was detained in custody for almost a year.
Zayd’s father stayed outside to care for Zayd, his younger brother, and children of other incarcerated activists.
At age five, Zayd was sad and angry, longing for his mother to return home.
His mother sent him a letter from prison, which he still occasionally reads.
She wrote about how being a mother was the most important thing in the world and that being a revolutionary was equally significant.
The letter referenced Martin Luther King Jr, Fred Hampton, and Malcolm X – emphasizing that they fought for a just cause and had children of their own.
Photo source, Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
Both of Zayd’s parents are now over 80 years old.
Zayd notes they are ‘very good grandparents’ and chuckles when pointing out their advanced age has mellowed their politics.
After leaving the underground, his mother became a law professor and ran a legal clinic for four decades offering advice to victims of systemic criminal justice inequalities. His father became a professor dedicated to public education reform.
They changed their methods but did not abandon their beliefs.
“They felt insulted whenever someone called them moderates or liberals.”
This article was adapted from the BBC World Service’s Outlook episode titled ‘America’s Most Wanted: My Family on the Run.’
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