Biography
Black prisoner at the North Carolina Women's Prison charged with assault after defending a fellow Black prisoner against a racist attack by white inmates (who were not charged); The Black Panther Vol. 17 no.13 (1977).
The November 15, 1975 issue names Shirley Herlth, using the name Tariha Maisha, alongside Anne Willett and Alice Wise as leaders of the June 16–19 protest at the North Carolina Correctional Center for Women. It says all three had been held in solitary confinement for over a month. Willett’s published letter describes deprivation, isolation and solidarity among the imprisoned women. These are attributed contemporary reports of prison conditions.
The Black Panther, November15,1975,vol14no9, PDF page 9; The Black Panther, November15,1975,vol14no9, PDF page 25.
The September 1977 Black Panther reported that Shirley Herlth received a disciplinary penalty of fifteen days in segregation and thirty days’ loss of good time after defending a fellow Black prisoner against a racist attack at North Carolina Women’s Prison. It distinguished the prison disciplinary proceeding from assault, aggravated-assault and assault-and-battery charges still awaiting a court appearance. The report does not say that the disciplinary term had been completed.
The Black Panther, September 10, 1977, vol. 17 no. 13, PDF page 10.
Signing Tarishi Maisha, with the identifying name Shirley Herlth, she appealed from the North Carolina Correctional Center for Women in June 1976 for help publishing a booklet about the women’s prison struggle. Her letter described participation in the previous year’s demonstration and a lawsuit against the Department of Corrections. A poem in the same issue carries the same signature and institution.
The Black Panther, June 12, 1976, volume XV no. 9, PDF page 2; The Black Panther, June 12, 1976, volume XV no. 9, PDF page 21.
