B. Kwaku Duren (also known as Robert Donaldson Duren and Bob D. Duren) was born in West Virginia in 1943. In the 1940s his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio and in the 1950s settled in Long Beach, California. Duren's teen and young adult years in California (the 1960s) were marred by legal troubles and he served jail sentences for much of this period, most notably in Soledad, one of California's most notorious prisons.

Prison time changed the trajectory of his life. In jail Duren was exposed to and read many classic books on African-American history and political philosophy. After being paroled in the 1970s, Duren became a community activist; his primary activities were with alternative schools, including the Intercommunal Youth Institute, and the founding of the Coalition Against Police Abuse which was in part inspired by the fatal shooting of his sister Betty Duren by California Highway Patrol officers. Duren also collaborated with national organizations. Most notably, he founded the Southern California Party Chapter of the Black Panther Party. In the 1990s Duren continued the legacy of the Panthers by playing a large role in the New Panther Vanguard Movement, an attempt to redirect and reenergize black activism.

Duren also was involved in government and law. In 1989 he obtained his JD from the People's College of Law (Los Angeles) and passed the bar in 1990. Before being awarded his JD, Duren sued the LAPD, specifically Chief of Police, Daryl F. Gates, for spying and infiltration of some of his groups; the suit was settled. He was also heavily involved in politics; he ran for Congress three times and Vice President once under the Peace and Freedom Party.

Duren continues his activism today and resides in Compton, California.