from his wikipedia page:
In 1971 he moved to San Francisco, where he enrolled in the University of California, Berkeley and studied anthropology. One of the classes he took was African-American Linguistics through the Department of Afro-American Studies, and taught by Colston Westbrook. Through this class, Wolfe became involved in prisoners’ rights. A small group of Berkeley students became involved in the Venceremos prison outreach project and started visiting the prisons to discuss politics and social justice issues with the prisoners, particularly at Vacaville prison. In 1972, prisoner Donald DeFreeze (Cinque), invited Wolfe and Russ Little to join his separate study group, Unisight. A former Black Panther, an inmate by the name of Thero Wheeler, was also in the clique.
In Robert Stone’s 2005 documentary, Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst, Russ Little said of Willie:
It’s funny how these things happen, but that’s where [Little’s political film nights] we met Bill, Emily and Joe, was at one of these films. Willie was kind of like the catalyst. Willie was the one that all these different people met. Willie was like the common denominator. Willie studied anthropology at Berkeley, and it was actually through Berkeley that he got into going to prisons. Through some class, some anthropology class.
Willie dropped out of college in 1972 as he became more involved in radical activism.
Thank you so much for that.