Sunday, April 18, 2010, 1-3pm
Clapp Hall, 4249 5th Ave.
Across from Cathedral of Learning and Heinz Chapel
Pittsburgh, PA
Friends,
So many of us in Pittsburgh have had the great fortune to know, learn from and stand together with Dennis Brutus and Howard Zinn on many issues and in many struggles. Through their writings, films and examples they can still inspire young people to take action and help seasoned activists to keep on working for social justice and peace for the rest of our lives.
Please join us at this tribute to our wonderful teachers, friends and fellow activists.
The program will include speakers, who were their dear friends and collaborators, including Staughton Lynd, "The People Speak" co-producer Lisa Smith, Celeste Taylor, Paul LeBlanc and Marcus Rediker, Chair of the Pitt History Department. In addition, Howard and Dennis will be present through videos.
We'll have an open mike for people to speak out or share a favorite poem or excerpt.
Their books will be on sale. Spread the word widely and help make this an afternoon of celebration and inspiration. For more info 412-241-6087.
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
25th Anniversary of Bombing of MOVE
05/12: 25th Anniversary of Bombing of MOVE! STOP POLICE TERROR!
IT’S TIME TO STOP POLICE TERRORISM!!!!!
This year marks 25 YEARS since the bombing of our FAMILY! MOVE is delivering
MURDER complaints to Seth Williams (Philadelphia’s First Black District
Attorney) at 9:00am on May 12th, CHARGING officials with the VICIOUS MURDER of
11 INNOCENT MOVE family members!
There will be a 10:00 am press conference at the AFSC, located at 15th & Cherry
Sts., about the MURDER COMPLAINTS.
There will also be a 6:00 pm program at the African-American Museum, located at
7th & Arch Sts., which includes the screening of 2 Films On MOVE.
Following, on Sunday, May 16th, there will be a CHILDREN’S PLAY performed by
the MOVE children at The Rotunda, located at 40th& Walnut Sts., directly behind
the Bridge Movie Theatre.
For more INFO please contact:
MOVE
P.O. BOX 19709
PHILA., PA. 19143
onamovellja@aol.com or call (215) 387-4107
IT’S TIME TO STOP POLICE TERRORISM!!!!!
This year marks 25 YEARS since the bombing of our FAMILY! MOVE is delivering
MURDER complaints to Seth Williams (Philadelphia’s First Black District
Attorney) at 9:00am on May 12th, CHARGING officials with the VICIOUS MURDER of
11 INNOCENT MOVE family members!
There will be a 10:00 am press conference at the AFSC, located at 15th & Cherry
Sts., about the MURDER COMPLAINTS.
There will also be a 6:00 pm program at the African-American Museum, located at
7th & Arch Sts., which includes the screening of 2 Films On MOVE.
Following, on Sunday, May 16th, there will be a CHILDREN’S PLAY performed by
the MOVE children at The Rotunda, located at 40th& Walnut Sts., directly behind
the Bridge Movie Theatre.
For more INFO please contact:
MOVE
P.O. BOX 19709
PHILA., PA. 19143
onamovellja@aol.com or call (215) 387-4107
UPDATE ON CASE OF MUMIA ABU-JAMAL
Speakers: Dr Suzanne Ross - (Co-Chair Free Mumia Abu Jamal Coalition)
Sundiata Sadiq - (Former Pres. of NAACP Ossining NY Chapter, Now in 5th year of suspension)
Join us for an update on the case of Political Prisoner Mumia Abu Jamal. The court system has closed its doors to the possibility of a new trial for Mumia and has left only two alternatives for him: execution or life in prison without parole. We demand the Department of Justice conduct a civil rights investigation into the outrageous frame-up of Mumia. Come get all the facts as we prepare for a demonstration in front of the Department of Justice Monday, April 26, two days after Mumia's 56th birthday.
Sat. April 17th 4:30PM @ St Stephens Church - 1525 Newton ST NW Washington, DC 20010
Organized By: Black Is Back Coalition & Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC)
Sundiata Sadiq - (Former Pres. of NAACP Ossining NY Chapter, Now in 5th year of suspension)
Join us for an update on the case of Political Prisoner Mumia Abu Jamal. The court system has closed its doors to the possibility of a new trial for Mumia and has left only two alternatives for him: execution or life in prison without parole. We demand the Department of Justice conduct a civil rights investigation into the outrageous frame-up of Mumia. Come get all the facts as we prepare for a demonstration in front of the Department of Justice Monday, April 26, two days after Mumia's 56th birthday.
Sat. April 17th 4:30PM @ St Stephens Church - 1525 Newton ST NW Washington, DC 20010
Organized By: Black Is Back Coalition & Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC)
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Writers for Mumia Event on April 24, Mumia's Birthday, Build Up for April 26 in DC
Readings and Testimonials
by poets, playwrights, journalists,
book authors, wordsmiths, & activists
List in formation
Loretta Campbell
David Lindorff
Susan E. Davis
Sister Lupe
Shelley Ettinger
Edwuare X. Osayande
Jose Angel Figueroa Ndigo
Robert Gibbons
Louis Reyes Rivera
Rashidah Ismaili
Yusef Salaam
Atiba Kwabena
Nana Soul
Saturday, April 24
2:30 - 6:00 pm
Program starts promptly at 3
St. Mary's Church
512 West 126th Street
(between Old Broadway & Amsterdam Ave.)
Mumia Abu-Jamal now faces a most critical moment in his decades-long struggle to be granted a new trial based on solid, incontrovertible evidence of prosecutorial misconduct during the criminal court trial that led to his conviction on charges of killing a Philadelphia police officer. This past January, the Supreme Court overturned the Third Circuit Court of Appeals' 2008 decision to set aside the death penalty based on improper instructions given to the jurors. Instead, the high court has instructed the circuit court to "reconsider" its earlier decision, particularly reinstitution of the death penalty.
To celebrate Mumia's birthdate (April 24, 1954), the New York Coalition to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal and the National Writers Union (NWU/New York Chapter) are organizing Writers for Mumia, an afternoon of readings and testimonials in Harlem. The event immediately precedes a rally scheduled for Monday, April 26, in front of the Justice Department's headquarters in Washington, D.C. to demand a civil rights investigation of Mumia's case.
For more information contact Writers for Mumia through the International Action Center, 212-633-6646; or the New York Coalition to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal, 212-330-8029.
by poets, playwrights, journalists,
book authors, wordsmiths, & activists
List in formation
Loretta Campbell
David Lindorff
Susan E. Davis
Sister Lupe
Shelley Ettinger
Edwuare X. Osayande
Jose Angel Figueroa Ndigo
Robert Gibbons
Louis Reyes Rivera
Rashidah Ismaili
Yusef Salaam
Atiba Kwabena
Nana Soul
Saturday, April 24
2:30 - 6:00 pm
Program starts promptly at 3
St. Mary's Church
512 West 126th Street
(between Old Broadway & Amsterdam Ave.)
Mumia Abu-Jamal now faces a most critical moment in his decades-long struggle to be granted a new trial based on solid, incontrovertible evidence of prosecutorial misconduct during the criminal court trial that led to his conviction on charges of killing a Philadelphia police officer. This past January, the Supreme Court overturned the Third Circuit Court of Appeals' 2008 decision to set aside the death penalty based on improper instructions given to the jurors. Instead, the high court has instructed the circuit court to "reconsider" its earlier decision, particularly reinstitution of the death penalty.
To celebrate Mumia's birthdate (April 24, 1954), the New York Coalition to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal and the National Writers Union (NWU/New York Chapter) are organizing Writers for Mumia, an afternoon of readings and testimonials in Harlem. The event immediately precedes a rally scheduled for Monday, April 26, in front of the Justice Department's headquarters in Washington, D.C. to demand a civil rights investigation of Mumia's case.
For more information contact Writers for Mumia through the International Action Center, 212-633-6646; or the New York Coalition to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal, 212-330-8029.
Thursday, April 01, 2010
4/3 Live from Death Row: Mumia at the Crossroads in the Age of Obama
Saturday, April 3, 2010
7:00pm - 10:00pm
The Diana Center - Barnard College, Columbia University
Conference registration website link:
MumiaCrossroadsEvent.tumblr.com
Reserve free tickets to the event at:
https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pe/8079505
Mumia Abu-Jamal is an award-winning journalist, humanist, advocate for social justice, and “Voice of the Voiceless” who has been wrongfully imprisoned on Pennsylvania’s death row for the last 28 years. A recent Supreme Court decision has made Mumia vulnerable to execution.
Mumia is at a crossroads, as are many in this “age of Obama.” Join us as we ignite a real conversation about the racialized character of mass incarceration in America, and of U.S. Human Rights violations nationally and internationally, which still have such grave consequences for peace, the world economy, gender relations, and the environment.
Location: The Event Oval at the Diana Center
3009 Broadway at 117th St
Off the 116th St Station on the 1 Train
Guest Speakers: 7-10 pm
--CORNEL WEST, Professor of Religion, Princeton University
--VIJAY PRASHAD, Historian, Trinity College
--JAMAL JOSEPH, Chair of Film Division, Columbia University School of Arts
We Will also be hosting educational and organizing workshops on Mumia's Case from 1-3 pm and 3-5 pm at Kent Hall, Columbia Campus.
Register for workshops here: https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dFViaG56N2doMFVKN1dMci03ZFl1NGc6MA
7:00pm - 10:00pm
The Diana Center - Barnard College, Columbia University
Conference registration website link:
MumiaCrossroadsEvent.tumblr.com
Reserve free tickets to the event at:
https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pe/8079505
Mumia Abu-Jamal is an award-winning journalist, humanist, advocate for social justice, and “Voice of the Voiceless” who has been wrongfully imprisoned on Pennsylvania’s death row for the last 28 years. A recent Supreme Court decision has made Mumia vulnerable to execution.
Mumia is at a crossroads, as are many in this “age of Obama.” Join us as we ignite a real conversation about the racialized character of mass incarceration in America, and of U.S. Human Rights violations nationally and internationally, which still have such grave consequences for peace, the world economy, gender relations, and the environment.
Location: The Event Oval at the Diana Center
3009 Broadway at 117th St
Off the 116th St Station on the 1 Train
Guest Speakers: 7-10 pm
--CORNEL WEST, Professor of Religion, Princeton University
--VIJAY PRASHAD, Historian, Trinity College
--JAMAL JOSEPH, Chair of Film Division, Columbia University School of Arts
We Will also be hosting educational and organizing workshops on Mumia's Case from 1-3 pm and 3-5 pm at Kent Hall, Columbia Campus.
Register for workshops here: https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dFViaG56N2doMFVKN1dMci03ZFl1NGc6MA
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Letter from Yuri Kochiyama for Mumia's Birthday
From Sis. Killu:
Greetings All:
This letter was written by Yuri Kochiyama who has asked us to spread this letter far and wide. Please do :).
Kiilu
March 1, 2010
Dear Friends of Mumia Abu Jamal:
Mumia’s birthday is April 24 and we would like to celebrate the whole month of April with a gigantic Freedom Birthday Remembrance for Mumia Abu Jamal.
Please join Pam and Ramona Africa and all who love and admire Mumia by avalanching him through the month of April with Freedom Birthday wishes. And, to those who can afford to, please send a few dollars through postal money orders. This would be helpful when he is released.
Mail cards to:
Mumia Abu Jamal AM 8335
SCI Greene
175 Progress Drive
Waynesburg, PA 15370-8090
Tell your family members, friends, fellow workers, neighbors, classmates, etc. Also, notify progressive radio stations, newspapers and organizations. Please do so immediately as April is almost upon us. Remember what Mumia has endured at the hands of the U.S. government and the Pennsylvania criminal justice system. Mumia has already done 32 years and is still on death row because of prosecutorial misconduct. Yet he is innocent! Act now before it is too late.
Don’t let Mumia become another victim of a government’s destructive history. Mumia’s life is in peril and must be saved. He is needed to teach us how to fight for a better world for all. If ever Mumia was needed, it is now!
Join us in celebrating Mumia’s birthday throughout April and let it be a celebration for Mumia’s freedom!
Remember we need him more than he needs us. We need him, not only for today, but for all the tomorrows coming. Join us. Write to Mumia now.
From Friends and Family of Mumia Abu Jamal
Greetings All:
This letter was written by Yuri Kochiyama who has asked us to spread this letter far and wide. Please do :).
Kiilu
March 1, 2010
Dear Friends of Mumia Abu Jamal:
Mumia’s birthday is April 24 and we would like to celebrate the whole month of April with a gigantic Freedom Birthday Remembrance for Mumia Abu Jamal.
Please join Pam and Ramona Africa and all who love and admire Mumia by avalanching him through the month of April with Freedom Birthday wishes. And, to those who can afford to, please send a few dollars through postal money orders. This would be helpful when he is released.
Mail cards to:
Mumia Abu Jamal AM 8335
SCI Greene
175 Progress Drive
Waynesburg, PA 15370-8090
Tell your family members, friends, fellow workers, neighbors, classmates, etc. Also, notify progressive radio stations, newspapers and organizations. Please do so immediately as April is almost upon us. Remember what Mumia has endured at the hands of the U.S. government and the Pennsylvania criminal justice system. Mumia has already done 32 years and is still on death row because of prosecutorial misconduct. Yet he is innocent! Act now before it is too late.
Don’t let Mumia become another victim of a government’s destructive history. Mumia’s life is in peril and must be saved. He is needed to teach us how to fight for a better world for all. If ever Mumia was needed, it is now!
Join us in celebrating Mumia’s birthday throughout April and let it be a celebration for Mumia’s freedom!
Remember we need him more than he needs us. We need him, not only for today, but for all the tomorrows coming. Join us. Write to Mumia now.
From Friends and Family of Mumia Abu Jamal
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Rep. Ellison considers resolution in support of Mumia Abu-Jamal
Go to the site to see the video of Dhoruba and Ellison at the meeting: http://minnesotaindependent.com/56451/ellison-considers-resolution-in-support-of-mumia-abu-jamal
Ellison considers resolution in support of Mumia Abu-Jamal
By Jon Collins 3/17/10 11:54 AM
U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., isn’t afraid to speak his mind.
He was bold enough to show up at a speaking event of former Black Panther Dhoruba Bin Wahad at Walker Church in South Minneapolis late last month. And after he was called on by Wahad, Ellison went toe-to-toe with the former political prisoner, eventually promising the crowd he’d consider a congressional resolution questioning the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal — who was convicted of murdering a Philadelphia policeman in 1982, although supporters say he didn’t receive a fair trial.
It was an often contentious half-hour dialog that spanned topics from the occupation of Palestine to Jim Crow laws.
After urgings from the sometimes restless crowd, Ellison said he hadn’t previously considered a congressional resolution in support of Abu-Jamal.
“You asked me about Mumia Abu-Jamal. You put something on my mind tonight,” Ellison told the crowd. “You want something done on Mumia Abu-Jamal: Let’s begin that conversation.”
After a long appeal process, the Supreme Court ruled that Abu-Jamal’s conviction could stand last year.
But the main thrust of the debate between Ellison and Wahad revolved around the best method to create social change. Wahad argued that social change comes from actively confronting oppression instead of working in the system.
“Is working to change the system with good intentions futile — yes,” Wahad said during the debate. “I don’t like tyrants, I don’t like oppressors — that’s why I spent 19 years in prison.”
Ellison said people fighting for social change need to get comfortable with acquiring some power.
“You correctly identify American foreign policy as a very dangerous thing for people all over the world — I think you’re right about that,” Ellison told Wahad. “You want to promote cynicism and I’m trying to promote positive social change and economic change for people.”
Ellison said there’s a broad dissatisfaction across racial lines in the United States and that Wahad’s rhetoric created barriers to real social change.
“[It's not productive] to argue there’s some impenetrable barrier between people of different racial groups,” Ellison told the crowd. “The fact is that there’s always been, I think you would agree, a number of interracial collections of people fighting oppression.”
Wahad’s speech was titled, “Political repression and state violence from Minneapolis to Palestine.” He was released from prison after an appeal found prosecutors withheld evidence.
According to the introduction, the event was sponsored by Communities United Against Police Brutality and the RNC8 Defense Committee, which supports eight Minneapolis activists who are facing felony conspiracy charges from their arrests before the Republican National Convention in 2008.
“I’ll get word back to you” on the possible Abu-Jamal resolution, Ellison told the crowd.
Ellison considers resolution in support of Mumia Abu-Jamal
By Jon Collins 3/17/10 11:54 AM
He was bold enough to show up at a speaking event of former Black Panther Dhoruba Bin Wahad at Walker Church in South Minneapolis late last month. And after he was called on by Wahad, Ellison went toe-to-toe with the former political prisoner, eventually promising the crowd he’d consider a congressional resolution questioning the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal — who was convicted of murdering a Philadelphia policeman in 1982, although supporters say he didn’t receive a fair trial.
It was an often contentious half-hour dialog that spanned topics from the occupation of Palestine to Jim Crow laws.
After urgings from the sometimes restless crowd, Ellison said he hadn’t previously considered a congressional resolution in support of Abu-Jamal.
“You asked me about Mumia Abu-Jamal. You put something on my mind tonight,” Ellison told the crowd. “You want something done on Mumia Abu-Jamal: Let’s begin that conversation.”
After a long appeal process, the Supreme Court ruled that Abu-Jamal’s conviction could stand last year.
But the main thrust of the debate between Ellison and Wahad revolved around the best method to create social change. Wahad argued that social change comes from actively confronting oppression instead of working in the system.
“Is working to change the system with good intentions futile — yes,” Wahad said during the debate. “I don’t like tyrants, I don’t like oppressors — that’s why I spent 19 years in prison.”
“You correctly identify American foreign policy as a very dangerous thing for people all over the world — I think you’re right about that,” Ellison told Wahad. “You want to promote cynicism and I’m trying to promote positive social change and economic change for people.”
Ellison said there’s a broad dissatisfaction across racial lines in the United States and that Wahad’s rhetoric created barriers to real social change.
“[It's not productive] to argue there’s some impenetrable barrier between people of different racial groups,” Ellison told the crowd. “The fact is that there’s always been, I think you would agree, a number of interracial collections of people fighting oppression.”
Wahad’s speech was titled, “Political repression and state violence from Minneapolis to Palestine.” He was released from prison after an appeal found prosecutors withheld evidence.
According to the introduction, the event was sponsored by Communities United Against Police Brutality and the RNC8 Defense Committee, which supports eight Minneapolis activists who are facing felony conspiracy charges from their arrests before the Republican National Convention in 2008.
“I’ll get word back to you” on the possible Abu-Jamal resolution, Ellison told the crowd.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
A Call from Pam Africa for Mumia!
From Mumia NYC:
WE NEED YOUR HELP … AGAIN … FOR JUSTICE FOR MUMIA!
March 19, 2010
Dear Friends and Supporters of Mumia Abu-Jamal
The time has come to ante up for Mumia. We are writing to invite you to join our Civil Rights Investigation Campaign (CRIC) on behalf of Mumia Abu-Jamal with your checkbooks and credit cards. As many of you know, the campaign is urging the Justice Department to open an investigation into the decades-long violations of Mumia's civil rights. As you also know, Mumia recently suffered a setback when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled for the Philadelphia district attorney, vacating earlier rulings that had overturned the death penalty and granted a new sentencing-phase trial. Now, the Third Circuit Court will decide whether or not to execute Mumia without having a new sentencing trial. It's no exaggeration to say that Mumia's life is in grave danger … more than ever.
We believe that this campaign, which has already won national and international support and generated tens of thousands of letters and petitions to Attorney General Eric Holder, can positively change Mumia's fate. The campaign's supporters include the NAACP, the Riverside Church Prison Ministry, dozens of international unions, WESPAC; actress Ruby Dee; former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark; Professors Cornel West, Noam Chomsky, and Henry Louis Gates; U.S. Congressman Charles Rangel; and former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (for current lists of national and international organizations and individuals who support the campaign, see our Web site under Join the Campaign and scroll to the bottom).
But the campaign can't move forward to fulfill its promise and possibilities without material support. We must produce more palms cards, fliers, petitions, and buttons; make banners; rent buses Washington; pay for use of the Press Club. We pay for our meeting space, invest in video supplies, overnight mail documents to Mumia to assure delivery, copy materials and, even prepare to host some of the scheduled international visitors and participants in the meeting with the Department of Justice. Now is the time to do everything we can to fight for Mumia's life.
We will return to Washington, DC, on April 26 (two days after Mumia's 56th birthday) with busloads of supporters and boxloads of petitions in Phase 2 of the CRIC. (Phase 1 ended on November 12, 2009, when we delivered thousands of petitions to the Justice Department chief of the Civil Rights Division.) This time we hope to meet with officials to make our case in person.
We can't control the courts. But we can invest in an alternative strategy that may very likely have results leading to a new trial. And exoneration.
Here's how you can help. You can make a tax-deductible donation to the Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC) by going to our Web site,www.freemumia.com, and clicking on "Please donate to the struggle for Mumia's freedom" at the right. PayPal takes it from there. Or you can send a check made out to "IFCO/Free Mumia Coalition" to the Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC), P.O. Box 16, College Station, New York, NY 10030. All monies will be shared by the International Concerned Family & Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal and the Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC). We also hope you can be with us in Washington, DC on Monday, April 26.
We understand that the fight for freedom is not free. It takes some money. Many of you have come forward in the past and contributed to this critical fight. We hope you can help us help Mumia again this time.
Free Mumia and All Political Prisoners! Ona Move!
Pam Africa
International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal
WE NEED YOUR HELP … AGAIN … FOR JUSTICE FOR MUMIA!
March 19, 2010
Dear Friends and Supporters of Mumia Abu-Jamal
The time has come to ante up for Mumia. We are writing to invite you to join our Civil Rights Investigation Campaign (CRIC) on behalf of Mumia Abu-Jamal with your checkbooks and credit cards. As many of you know, the campaign is urging the Justice Department to open an investigation into the decades-long violations of Mumia's civil rights. As you also know, Mumia recently suffered a setback when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled for the Philadelphia district attorney, vacating earlier rulings that had overturned the death penalty and granted a new sentencing-phase trial. Now, the Third Circuit Court will decide whether or not to execute Mumia without having a new sentencing trial. It's no exaggeration to say that Mumia's life is in grave danger … more than ever.
We believe that this campaign, which has already won national and international support and generated tens of thousands of letters and petitions to Attorney General Eric Holder, can positively change Mumia's fate. The campaign's supporters include the NAACP, the Riverside Church Prison Ministry, dozens of international unions, WESPAC; actress Ruby Dee; former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark; Professors Cornel West, Noam Chomsky, and Henry Louis Gates; U.S. Congressman Charles Rangel; and former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (for current lists of national and international organizations and individuals who support the campaign, see our Web site under Join the Campaign and scroll to the bottom).
But the campaign can't move forward to fulfill its promise and possibilities without material support. We must produce more palms cards, fliers, petitions, and buttons; make banners; rent buses Washington; pay for use of the Press Club. We pay for our meeting space, invest in video supplies, overnight mail documents to Mumia to assure delivery, copy materials and, even prepare to host some of the scheduled international visitors and participants in the meeting with the Department of Justice. Now is the time to do everything we can to fight for Mumia's life.
We will return to Washington, DC, on April 26 (two days after Mumia's 56th birthday) with busloads of supporters and boxloads of petitions in Phase 2 of the CRIC. (Phase 1 ended on November 12, 2009, when we delivered thousands of petitions to the Justice Department chief of the Civil Rights Division.) This time we hope to meet with officials to make our case in person.
We can't control the courts. But we can invest in an alternative strategy that may very likely have results leading to a new trial. And exoneration.
Here's how you can help. You can make a tax-deductible donation to the Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC) by going to our Web site,www.freemumia.com, and clicking on "Please donate to the struggle for Mumia's freedom" at the right. PayPal takes it from there. Or you can send a check made out to "IFCO/Free Mumia Coalition" to the Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC), P.O. Box 16, College Station, New York, NY 10030. All monies will be shared by the International Concerned Family & Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal and the Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC). We also hope you can be with us in Washington, DC on Monday, April 26.
We understand that the fight for freedom is not free. It takes some money. Many of you have come forward in the past and contributed to this critical fight. We hope you can help us help Mumia again this time.
Free Mumia and All Political Prisoners! Ona Move!
Pam Africa
International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
ALL OUT FOR MUMIA April 26 in Washington, DC!
Following a press conference, we will march to the DOJ for a rally. A meeting is also scheduled with the DOJ.
With the over 20,000 members of0 the civil rights campaign, demand justice for Mumia -- his life is in greater danger now than ever.
Buses will leave from NYC and Philadelphia and cars and vans from other cities.
For all info, including bus tickets, call: 215-476-8812 (Philadelphia) 212-330-8029 (NYC)
www.freemumia.com
New Book on Mumia and the Media
The Media Rhetoric of Law and Order: How ABC Framed the Mumia Abu-Jamal Story
by Thomas N. Gardner
This work presents a case study of journalism as persuasion through a triangulated examination of ABC 20/20's story "Hollywood's Unlikely Hero" (December 1998), which reports on the death penalty case of Mumia Abu-Jamal. The methodology includes rhetorical analysis, experimental design, and focus group audience research. It also examines the impact of a media literacy intervention on news reception by showing the video "Framing an Execution: the Media and Mumia Abu-Jamal" and measuring its effects on audience perceptions of the 20/20 story.
Each book includes a DVD copy of the Framing an Execution: the Media and Mumia Abu-Jamal.
Reviews
"Thomas Gardner's account of the media coverage of the Mumia Abu-Jamal case is a welcome addition to our scholarship. It points to several vexing problems with our news media and in American society. The single most important point, buttressed powerfully by Gardner's critique, is the marginalization of dissent in mainstream media. How ironic is it that a press system, born in a revolution against tyranny, that rhetorically embraces its independence from the state and its willingness to be tough-minded toward those in power, restricts its "toughness," for the most part," to ignoring, ridiculing, distorting or trivializing dissident political opinion. It has turned the old aphorism of comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable on its head.
Gardner very wisely understands the political implications of his research, as he points to the need for structural change. The starting point is what he calls media literacy, teaching students to understand how media work, and how they affect us. There is little doubt that media literacy is a cornerstone of the media reform agenda. This study makes a valuable contribution to media literacy literature."
– Prof. Robert W. McChesney, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
". . . provides very useful data on the role and potential of media literacy (and, in particular, of using video to deconstruct mainstream media). The idea of looking at the impact of a `problematic' media text and a critique of that text — separately and combined — is both interesting and fruitful."
– Prof. Justin Lewis, Cardiff University
"Gardner's synthesis of perspectives drawn from Cultural Studies, Rhetoric, and the `propaganda model' of news media, and his efforts to channel these insights into a object-lesson for Media Education purposes are thorough and effective. The book is also very engagingly written, carrying the reader through the details and sequences of events with great clarity, and never making the conceptual discussions turgid. Gardner's years as a college instructor and his prior experience as a working journalist are put to very good use."
– Prof. John Downing, Southern Illinois University
"What is perhaps most impressive about this piece is its skillful blending of the theoretical frameworks of rhetorical analysis, cultural studies, cultivation, and media framing. This study is not entirely any of these but is simultaneously informed by all of these. Gardner thus shows how a truly multitheoretical approach to media culture is the most effective strategy for critical analysis of the complexities inherent in our media saturated environments. True to the open spirit of the original cultural studies approach while challenging rigid models of qualitative versus quantitative research, this is truly an innovative and challenging work that should be read by all who are concerned about the abuse of corporate and state power and the dark side of modern day capitalist democracies."
– Prof. Bill Yousman, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
by Thomas N. Gardner
This work presents a case study of journalism as persuasion through a triangulated examination of ABC 20/20's story "Hollywood's Unlikely Hero" (December 1998), which reports on the death penalty case of Mumia Abu-Jamal. The methodology includes rhetorical analysis, experimental design, and focus group audience research. It also examines the impact of a media literacy intervention on news reception by showing the video "Framing an Execution: the Media and Mumia Abu-Jamal" and measuring its effects on audience perceptions of the 20/20 story.
Each book includes a DVD copy of the Framing an Execution: the Media and Mumia Abu-Jamal.
Reviews
"Thomas Gardner's account of the media coverage of the Mumia Abu-Jamal case is a welcome addition to our scholarship. It points to several vexing problems with our news media and in American society. The single most important point, buttressed powerfully by Gardner's critique, is the marginalization of dissent in mainstream media. How ironic is it that a press system, born in a revolution against tyranny, that rhetorically embraces its independence from the state and its willingness to be tough-minded toward those in power, restricts its "toughness," for the most part," to ignoring, ridiculing, distorting or trivializing dissident political opinion. It has turned the old aphorism of comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable on its head.
Gardner very wisely understands the political implications of his research, as he points to the need for structural change. The starting point is what he calls media literacy, teaching students to understand how media work, and how they affect us. There is little doubt that media literacy is a cornerstone of the media reform agenda. This study makes a valuable contribution to media literacy literature."
– Prof. Robert W. McChesney, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
". . . provides very useful data on the role and potential of media literacy (and, in particular, of using video to deconstruct mainstream media). The idea of looking at the impact of a `problematic' media text and a critique of that text — separately and combined — is both interesting and fruitful."
– Prof. Justin Lewis, Cardiff University
"Gardner's synthesis of perspectives drawn from Cultural Studies, Rhetoric, and the `propaganda model' of news media, and his efforts to channel these insights into a object-lesson for Media Education purposes are thorough and effective. The book is also very engagingly written, carrying the reader through the details and sequences of events with great clarity, and never making the conceptual discussions turgid. Gardner's years as a college instructor and his prior experience as a working journalist are put to very good use."
– Prof. John Downing, Southern Illinois University
"What is perhaps most impressive about this piece is its skillful blending of the theoretical frameworks of rhetorical analysis, cultural studies, cultivation, and media framing. This study is not entirely any of these but is simultaneously informed by all of these. Gardner thus shows how a truly multitheoretical approach to media culture is the most effective strategy for critical analysis of the complexities inherent in our media saturated environments. True to the open spirit of the original cultural studies approach while challenging rigid models of qualitative versus quantitative research, this is truly an innovative and challenging work that should be read by all who are concerned about the abuse of corporate and state power and the dark side of modern day capitalist democracies."
– Prof. Bill Yousman, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
A Message from Ramona Africa
The Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition urges people to join this year's activities. 25th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEADLY ASSAULT AND BOMBING OF MOVE! LET'S ALL STAND UP TO POLICE TERRORISM TOGETHER! SHARE YOUR STOIRES AND BECOME PART OF THE PLANNED PROGRAM!
MESSAGE FROM RAMONA BELOW:
ONA MOVE, Everybody! Sorry for the long delay in our next meeting but I've been traveling and am just getting caught up on things here at home. Anyway, the next meeting is Sunday, March 21st at 6.00pm in the A-Space (4722 Baltimore Ave, Philadelphia, PA) I'll have some updated news on the where things are at so try to make the meeting. Take care----Ramona
------
This is a note to inform/remind folks that the May program is a stand up against police terrorism/murder event. I'm calling on you to encourage any family members or friends of victims of police terrorism/murder to contact me so that they can become part of our program. This is extremely important because MOVE is not about doing "programs" just to do "programs". We are about activity and solution so we want to work with people that have lost loved ones or have been victimized themselves by police terrorism. Thanks for your support on this issue-----Ramona
------
(http://www.onamove.com)
MESSAGE FROM RAMONA BELOW:
ONA MOVE, Everybody! Sorry for the long delay in our next meeting but I've been traveling and am just getting caught up on things here at home. Anyway, the next meeting is Sunday, March 21st at 6.00pm in the A-Space (4722 Baltimore Ave, Philadelphia, PA) I'll have some updated news on the where things are at so try to make the meeting. Take care----Ramona
------
This is a note to inform/remind folks that the May program is a stand up against police terrorism/murder event. I'm calling on you to encourage any family members or friends of victims of police terrorism/murder to contact me so that they can become part of our program. This is extremely important because MOVE is not about doing "programs" just to do "programs". We are about activity and solution so we want to work with people that have lost loved ones or have been victimized themselves by police terrorism. Thanks for your support on this issue-----Ramona
------
(http://www.onamove.com)
Friday, March 12, 2010
Mumia Abu-Jamal Tribute to Sis. Safiya Bukhari/Book Parties
Stirring video tribute at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHMfQcjAV7A&feature=player_embedded
CHICAGO, IL:
Saturday, March 13th 2-4 pm Book Party! at Afri-Ware Books, 266 W. Lake, Oak Park
JERSEY CITY, NJ:
Saturday evening, April 3 Black Waxx Studios (280 1st Street, 2nd Floor), Laura Whitehorn, with musical artists Melanie Dyer and others. A Scientific Soul Session on “womyn and revolution.”
NEW YORK CITY:
Saturday, Sunday, March 20-21 at the Left Forum, Pace University, 1 Pace Plaza, Manhattan – workshop with Cleo Silvers, Vikki Law, Asha Bandele and Susie Day, date/time TBD (http://leftforum.org/node/63)
Sunday, March 28, 2010 5-8 pm
St. Mary's Church, 521 West 126th St. (just east of Broadway)
Sponsored by the New York Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (with Wonda Jones, Laura Whitehorn, Pam, Ramona and Mike Africa; Sally O'Brien, Masai Ehehosi, Imam Al Hajj Talib Abdur-Rashid, Zayid Muhammad, Suzanne Ross, Sundiata Sadiq, Esperanza Martell, and others
SAN FRANCISCO, CA:
Thursday, March 11 with Yuri Kochiyama, Billy X Jennings, Claude Marks and others; at Freedom Archives, 513 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
Friday, March 12, 7:00 pm with Vikki Law at The Green Arcade bookstore, 1680 Market Street @ Gough, San Francisco CA 94102
Saturday/Sunday, March 13-14 with Vikki Law at the Bay Area Anarchist Book Fair, SF County Fair Building, Golden Gate Park (all day; time of panel TBD) http://sfbookfair.wordpress. com/schedule/
PHILADELPHIA, PA:
Friday, March 5th, Evening TBA Philagraphika art opening with Just Seeds, A-Space, 47th and Baltimore Ave., Philadelphia, PA (with Laura Whitehorn)
Saturday, March 6th, 2 Events
Afternoon in West Philadelphia, Details TBA
7 pm at Taller Puertorriqueño, 2557 N. 5th St., with Ricardo Jimenez (former political prisoner from the Puerto Rican Independence Movement) and Laura Whitehorn
OAKLAND, CA:
Saturday, March 13 Yuri Kochiyama, Jewelle Gomez, Susan Rosenberg, Linda Evans, Laura Whitehorn, others, at Sparks Fly! benefit for political prisoner Marilyn Buck
TORONTO, CANADA:
Thursday, Feb 25th 8:30 pm This Ain't the Rosedale Library, 86 Nassau Street, Kensington Market
This list of events will be updated, and is available online at http://www.kersplebedeb.com/mystuff/profiles/warbefore_ events.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHMfQcjAV7A&feature=player_embedded
SUPPORT THE BOOK PARTIES FOR THE WAR BEFORE (Sis. Safiya's book) and honor this Warrior Sista!
CHICAGO, IL:
Saturday, March 13th 2-4 pm Book Party! at Afri-Ware Books, 266 W. Lake, Oak Park
JERSEY CITY, NJ:
Saturday evening, April 3 Black Waxx Studios (280 1st Street, 2nd Floor), Laura Whitehorn, with musical artists Melanie Dyer and others. A Scientific Soul Session on “womyn and revolution.”
NEW YORK CITY:
Saturday, Sunday, March 20-21 at the Left Forum, Pace University, 1 Pace Plaza, Manhattan – workshop with Cleo Silvers, Vikki Law, Asha Bandele and Susie Day, date/time TBD (http://leftforum.org/node/63)
Sunday, March 28, 2010 5-8 pm
St. Mary's Church, 521 West 126th St. (just east of Broadway)
Sponsored by the New York Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (with Wonda Jones, Laura Whitehorn, Pam, Ramona and Mike Africa; Sally O'Brien, Masai Ehehosi, Imam Al Hajj Talib Abdur-Rashid, Zayid Muhammad, Suzanne Ross, Sundiata Sadiq, Esperanza Martell, and others
SAN FRANCISCO, CA:
Thursday, March 11 with Yuri Kochiyama, Billy X Jennings, Claude Marks and others; at Freedom Archives, 513 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
Friday, March 12, 7:00 pm with Vikki Law at The Green Arcade bookstore, 1680 Market Street @ Gough, San Francisco CA 94102
Saturday/Sunday, March 13-14 with Vikki Law at the Bay Area Anarchist Book Fair, SF County Fair Building, Golden Gate Park (all day; time of panel TBD) http://sfbookfair.wordpress. com/schedule/
PHILADELPHIA, PA:
Friday, March 5th, Evening TBA Philagraphika art opening with Just Seeds, A-Space, 47th and Baltimore Ave., Philadelphia, PA (with Laura Whitehorn)
Saturday, March 6th, 2 Events
Afternoon in West Philadelphia, Details TBA
7 pm at Taller Puertorriqueño, 2557 N. 5th St., with Ricardo Jimenez (former political prisoner from the Puerto Rican Independence Movement) and Laura Whitehorn
OAKLAND, CA:
Saturday, March 13 Yuri Kochiyama, Jewelle Gomez, Susan Rosenberg, Linda Evans, Laura Whitehorn, others, at Sparks Fly! benefit for political prisoner Marilyn Buck
TORONTO, CANADA:
Thursday, Feb 25th 8:30 pm This Ain't the Rosedale Library, 86 Nassau Street, Kensington Market
This list of events will be updated, and is available online at http://www.kersplebedeb.com/mystuff/profiles/warbefore_ events.php
Pam Africa on Ebony Magazine Article
3/3/10
Sis. Pam Africa to Jam Donaldson
(In response to: http://www.conversateisnotaword.com/?p=167)
There is a lot of things I can say but it should be clear by now that you made a serious mistake when you pretend that you have the right to do wrong, NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO DO WRONG. I invite you to check out these sites -- google LINN WASHINGTON JR., he is a Professor of Journalism at Temple in Phila. He was also a Law clerk for SUPREME JUSTICE ROBERT Nix. He is an author of a book on BLACK JUDGES and knows this case.
I really hope you take time and view his web site, especially since you are a attorney. Educators for Mumia is another site by Professor Mark Taylor from PRINCETON University, New Jersey. Journalists For MUMIA is another site, please visit their site, they sponsored an ad in the New York Times with several hundred Academics from around the World and also sponsored several teach-ins and conferences on the case of Mumia, and is sponsoring one at Columbia University in New York this April 3rd.
FREE MUMIA NOW is another site sponsored by the NEW YORK COALITION TO FREE MUMIA which is now sharing the site with International Concerned Family And Friends Of Mumia Abu-Jamal, a must-see web site for detailed national and international info from the New York based Free Mumia movement. This is the site of two chairpeople, Pam Africa (Phila.) and DR.SUZANNE Ross (New York) where you will get detailed info on the CIVIL RIGHTS CAMPAIGN to Attorney General of the United States Holder.
Mumia is facing life in prison without the possibility of parole or a death sentence, which neither is acceptable to a lot of people around the world and across this country. In the Country of France in
the capital Paris they supported this poor black political revolutionary prisoner on deathrow who happens to be also articulate, a great journalist, author of several best selling books on the social injustices to all life. That government investigated his case for several years by sending fact finding experts to get the truth, which led to their out spoken support in France thru massive demonstrations in the street with several thousand people of all walks of life including the former first LADY OF FRANCE Madame Daniell Mitterand whose husband banned the death penalty in France.
In the city of Paris Mumia is an Honorary Citizen and in the city of ST.Denis in France there is a street named in his honor, why? Because they did what was necessary to bring to the attention of the world that this government has framed a man, that Mumia did not have anything resembling a fair trial, that
evidence also supported his innocence and they also have a web site and email. You can also check out the Millions for Mumia web site and the Mobilization to Free Mumia website. Did you know that at the 100th anniversary of the NAACP Convention in New York a resolution was passed calling for a Civil Rights Investigation in Mumia's case?
Did you know that the Black Congressional Caucus, all of them, stated they investigated the case of Mumia and said that Mumia did not receive a fair trial and that evidence points to the fact that he is possibly innocent? I could go on much longer with this but you understand. So when you say (did i call you out) I say yes, you called out a lot of people, I hope you can deal with it.
My phone number is 215 476 8812.
Remember when this goverment murdered Malcolm X, Rev. Martin L. King, we did not know the plot and we did not know the plan or the folks involved, but now we do know the plot, the why, we know the plan. Help stop the murder of this innocent man, arm yourself with the facts, NOW YOU DEAL WITH IT and thanks for the call-out, the platform to awaken people to the truth in this case. Remember we must teach the children the truth.
To quote JOHN AFRICA: "NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO DO WRONG".
NOTE: Ebony Magazine contact info:
Terry Glover, Managing Editor
Ebony Magazine
Johnson Publishing Company, Inc.
820 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60605
312-322-9200
tglover@ebony.com
Sis. Pam Africa to Jam Donaldson
(In response to: http://www.conversateisnotaword.com/?p=167)
There is a lot of things I can say but it should be clear by now that you made a serious mistake when you pretend that you have the right to do wrong, NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO DO WRONG. I invite you to check out these sites -- google LINN WASHINGTON JR., he is a Professor of Journalism at Temple in Phila. He was also a Law clerk for SUPREME JUSTICE ROBERT Nix. He is an author of a book on BLACK JUDGES and knows this case.
I really hope you take time and view his web site, especially since you are a attorney. Educators for Mumia is another site by Professor Mark Taylor from PRINCETON University, New Jersey. Journalists For MUMIA is another site, please visit their site, they sponsored an ad in the New York Times with several hundred Academics from around the World and also sponsored several teach-ins and conferences on the case of Mumia, and is sponsoring one at Columbia University in New York this April 3rd.
FREE MUMIA NOW is another site sponsored by the NEW YORK COALITION TO FREE MUMIA which is now sharing the site with International Concerned Family And Friends Of Mumia Abu-Jamal, a must-see web site for detailed national and international info from the New York based Free Mumia movement. This is the site of two chairpeople, Pam Africa (Phila.) and DR.SUZANNE Ross (New York) where you will get detailed info on the CIVIL RIGHTS CAMPAIGN to Attorney General of the United States Holder.
Mumia is facing life in prison without the possibility of parole or a death sentence, which neither is acceptable to a lot of people around the world and across this country. In the Country of France in
the capital Paris they supported this poor black political revolutionary prisoner on deathrow who happens to be also articulate, a great journalist, author of several best selling books on the social injustices to all life. That government investigated his case for several years by sending fact finding experts to get the truth, which led to their out spoken support in France thru massive demonstrations in the street with several thousand people of all walks of life including the former first LADY OF FRANCE Madame Daniell Mitterand whose husband banned the death penalty in France.
In the city of Paris Mumia is an Honorary Citizen and in the city of ST.Denis in France there is a street named in his honor, why? Because they did what was necessary to bring to the attention of the world that this government has framed a man, that Mumia did not have anything resembling a fair trial, that
evidence also supported his innocence and they also have a web site and email. You can also check out the Millions for Mumia web site and the Mobilization to Free Mumia website. Did you know that at the 100th anniversary of the NAACP Convention in New York a resolution was passed calling for a Civil Rights Investigation in Mumia's case?
Did you know that the Black Congressional Caucus, all of them, stated they investigated the case of Mumia and said that Mumia did not receive a fair trial and that evidence points to the fact that he is possibly innocent? I could go on much longer with this but you understand. So when you say (did i call you out) I say yes, you called out a lot of people, I hope you can deal with it.
My phone number is 215 476 8812.
Remember when this goverment murdered Malcolm X, Rev. Martin L. King, we did not know the plot and we did not know the plan or the folks involved, but now we do know the plot, the why, we know the plan. Help stop the murder of this innocent man, arm yourself with the facts, NOW YOU DEAL WITH IT and thanks for the call-out, the platform to awaken people to the truth in this case. Remember we must teach the children the truth.
To quote JOHN AFRICA: "NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO DO WRONG".
NOTE: Ebony Magazine contact info:
Terry Glover, Managing Editor
Ebony Magazine
Johnson Publishing Company, Inc.
820 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60605
312-322-9200
tglover@ebony.com
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Ebony Magazine Article Criminalizes Mumia Abu-Jamal
From Sis. Marpessa:
Sis. Fatirah and myself have raised our voices against Jam Donaldson's recent column which appeared in Ebony Magazine's February 2010 issue (viewable at http://www.conversateisnotaword.com/?p=167). Please read our letters and let your voice be heard as well! -- Sis. Marpessa.
-------------------
Jam Donaldson
jam@jamdonaldson.com
www.jamdonaldson.com
www.hotghettomess.com
Terry Glover, Managing Editor
Ebony Magazine
Johnson Publishing Company, Inc.
820 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60605
312-322-9200
tglover@ebony.com
To whom it may concern,
I'm writing in response to the 'article' in Ebony magazine by Hot ghetto mess Jam Donaldson. As I read it, I thought 'uh oh; here is another self hating young Black person, who thinks they are designated to point out our faults and present our failures to the world (ala hotghettomess.com), all the while appearing just a little bit better than the rest of us. I have seen the messes in various emails and while they bring a shake of the head, I wonder why someone would go to the trouble of exploiting the worst in our community instead of high-lighting the best?
Then I come to the last paragraph where Ms Mess states that "One day I'm like, 'Free Mumia' and other days I'm like, 'That n***** probably did it.' And I'm not afraid to admit it, and I'm not afraid to write about it."
Of course you're 'not afraid to write about it', you are aware that there is an audience for just such words: The FOP (Fraternal Order of Police) for one will probably use your words in some of their propaganda and I'm sure that will make you proud.
Self-serving pseudo journalism at it's worst.
If you ever choose to be a responsible journalist, you will find that there is much information about Mumia Abu-Jamal's case, done by upstanding reporters who have DONE THEIR HOMEWORK, and are not looking for a pithy little ending.
Mumia's life is on the line, and for you to be so cavalier about it shows either your naivete, or your deliberate attempt to ingratiate yourself with those who are seeking to murder an innocent man.
If you find yourself looking for some excellent articles from a man whose body has been locked down for years, but whose mind and heart are as free as the wind, you can follow any of the links below for more information. I doubt you will, there's nothing 'sexy' about the truth.
Fatirah Aziz
http://www.freemumia.com/
www.prisonradio.org
http://www.emajonline.com/index.php?action=4&content_id=311
Jam Donaldson
jam@jamdonaldson.com
www.jamdonaldson.com
www.hotghettomess.com
Terry Glover, Managing Editor
Ebony Magazine
Johnson Publishing Company, Inc.
820 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60605
312-322-9200
tglover@ebony.com
The Ebony Magazine February 2010 article entitled: "Sisterspeak - Did I just CALL YOU OUT? YEP. I did. Deal with it. One writer tells the truth," by Jam Donaldson concludes by proclaiming, "One day I'm like, 'Free Mumia' and other days I'm like, 'That n***** probably did it.' And I'm not afraid to admit it, and I'm not afraid to write about it."
You succeeded in ending your article with controversy but was the pay-off worth carelessly toying with a man's life? This isn't a Gen-X'er spreading your wings in defiance of the status quo or clowning somebody for having their behind hanging out and rainbow-colored weave as you regularly do on the web, you made a flippant and highly irresponsible condemnation purely for shock value!
"Free Mumia" is not a catchprase to be spouted according to your mood swings and supposings, nor a litmus test by which you should make reckless statements as a way to poke out your chest and feel special. To believe that Mumia should be free is to fight to uncover the truth that has been smothered by the courts for 28+ years. It's not about a gimmick for your self-promotion by using Mumia's name for flava, hype or to raise your google-ability -- this is a demand for a constitutionally guaranteed fair trial before a jury of ones peers instead of a hate-filled feeding frenzy of racism, coerced testimony, fabricated, distorted and hidden evidence. It's about trying to get justice in a court where an entire police union (FOP) carries picket signs in protest and packs hearings with t-shirts emblazoned with "Fry Mumia" over their highly visible guns -- before a judge who himself is a lifetime FOP member! It's about an outrageous frame-up of a Black man who the COINTELPRO targeted as early as his teenage years.
This zinger with which you ended your article crosses the line from an attempt at being clever to an outright attack. The slightest bit of research would have shown you that at this very critical juncture in history Mumia is in the midst of extremely intensified court pressures and the campaign to release him is in the midst of a knockdown, drag-out battle to stop his legalized lynching! Unfortunately your witless assertion now carries weight because it has been so incredibly elevated by Ebony magazine, of all places! The appalling way in which you chose to end your piece may have given you a smirk of personal satisfaction but the only people you have impressed are those who are salivating at the prospect of murdering Mumia, or don't you get that?
As for Ebony magazine, has your more than half-century of publishing come down to this, such a desperate yearning to attract young readership that you showcase an article that debases a Black man fighting for his life on death row as a "NIGGER" (why bother with the asterisks at all?)! Is that really where it's at with Ebony nowadays? Freedom of expression is one thing, but gross negligence is quite another! As one of the most well-respected Black publications in the US and world, surely you must realize that much of Black America views the case against Mumia with a healthy amount of skepticism, not to mention his being an internationally recognized author, scholar and champion of human rights. Someone with maturity should have pointed out to this "blogger and cultural commentator" that this was an extremely reckless and slanderous statement to make regarding anyone at all, let alone a colleague and fellow practicing journalist!
Right now there is a major campaign to urge Attorney General Eric Holder to open a civil rights investigation into the frame-up of Mumia. Ebony Magazine should agree to maintain at least the appearance of fairness and give space to the International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal to provide balance to this smear against Mumia which you printed in your publication. They must, at the very least, be given the opportunity to discuss the current state of the campaign to free Mumia and be able to point your readers toward resources to reach their own opinions regarding his case as soon as possible to refute Ms. Donaldson's commentary.
Marpessa Kupendua
Mumia Abu-Jamal on-line resources:
International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal: www.freemumia.com
Academics for Mumia: http://www.emajonline.com/index.php?action=4&content_id=311
Information and Analysis: http://abu-jamal-news.com/
Some of Mumia's journalism: http://www.prisonradio.org/mumia.htm
Sis. Fatirah and myself have raised our voices against Jam Donaldson's recent column which appeared in Ebony Magazine's February 2010 issue (viewable at http://www.conversateisnotaword.com/?p=167). Please read our letters and let your voice be heard as well! -- Sis. Marpessa.
-------------------
Jam Donaldson
jam@jamdonaldson.com
www.jamdonaldson.com
www.hotghettomess.com
Terry Glover, Managing Editor
Ebony Magazine
Johnson Publishing Company, Inc.
820 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60605
312-322-9200
tglover@ebony.com
To whom it may concern,
I'm writing in response to the 'article' in Ebony magazine by Hot ghetto mess Jam Donaldson. As I read it, I thought 'uh oh; here is another self hating young Black person, who thinks they are designated to point out our faults and present our failures to the world (ala hotghettomess.com), all the while appearing just a little bit better than the rest of us. I have seen the messes in various emails and while they bring a shake of the head, I wonder why someone would go to the trouble of exploiting the worst in our community instead of high-lighting the best?
Then I come to the last paragraph where Ms Mess states that "One day I'm like, 'Free Mumia' and other days I'm like, 'That n***** probably did it.' And I'm not afraid to admit it, and I'm not afraid to write about it."
Of course you're 'not afraid to write about it', you are aware that there is an audience for just such words: The FOP (Fraternal Order of Police) for one will probably use your words in some of their propaganda and I'm sure that will make you proud.
Self-serving pseudo journalism at it's worst.
If you ever choose to be a responsible journalist, you will find that there is much information about Mumia Abu-Jamal's case, done by upstanding reporters who have DONE THEIR HOMEWORK, and are not looking for a pithy little ending.
Mumia's life is on the line, and for you to be so cavalier about it shows either your naivete, or your deliberate attempt to ingratiate yourself with those who are seeking to murder an innocent man.
If you find yourself looking for some excellent articles from a man whose body has been locked down for years, but whose mind and heart are as free as the wind, you can follow any of the links below for more information. I doubt you will, there's nothing 'sexy' about the truth.
Fatirah Aziz
http://www.freemumia.com/
www.prisonradio.org
http://www.emajonline.com/index.php?action=4&content_id=311
Jam Donaldson
jam@jamdonaldson.com
www.jamdonaldson.com
www.hotghettomess.com
Terry Glover, Managing Editor
Ebony Magazine
Johnson Publishing Company, Inc.
820 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60605
312-322-9200
tglover@ebony.com
The Ebony Magazine February 2010 article entitled: "Sisterspeak - Did I just CALL YOU OUT? YEP. I did. Deal with it. One writer tells the truth," by Jam Donaldson concludes by proclaiming, "One day I'm like, 'Free Mumia' and other days I'm like, 'That n***** probably did it.' And I'm not afraid to admit it, and I'm not afraid to write about it."
You succeeded in ending your article with controversy but was the pay-off worth carelessly toying with a man's life? This isn't a Gen-X'er spreading your wings in defiance of the status quo or clowning somebody for having their behind hanging out and rainbow-colored weave as you regularly do on the web, you made a flippant and highly irresponsible condemnation purely for shock value!
"Free Mumia" is not a catchprase to be spouted according to your mood swings and supposings, nor a litmus test by which you should make reckless statements as a way to poke out your chest and feel special. To believe that Mumia should be free is to fight to uncover the truth that has been smothered by the courts for 28+ years. It's not about a gimmick for your self-promotion by using Mumia's name for flava, hype or to raise your google-ability -- this is a demand for a constitutionally guaranteed fair trial before a jury of ones peers instead of a hate-filled feeding frenzy of racism, coerced testimony, fabricated, distorted and hidden evidence. It's about trying to get justice in a court where an entire police union (FOP) carries picket signs in protest and packs hearings with t-shirts emblazoned with "Fry Mumia" over their highly visible guns -- before a judge who himself is a lifetime FOP member! It's about an outrageous frame-up of a Black man who the COINTELPRO targeted as early as his teenage years.
This zinger with which you ended your article crosses the line from an attempt at being clever to an outright attack. The slightest bit of research would have shown you that at this very critical juncture in history Mumia is in the midst of extremely intensified court pressures and the campaign to release him is in the midst of a knockdown, drag-out battle to stop his legalized lynching! Unfortunately your witless assertion now carries weight because it has been so incredibly elevated by Ebony magazine, of all places! The appalling way in which you chose to end your piece may have given you a smirk of personal satisfaction but the only people you have impressed are those who are salivating at the prospect of murdering Mumia, or don't you get that?
As for Ebony magazine, has your more than half-century of publishing come down to this, such a desperate yearning to attract young readership that you showcase an article that debases a Black man fighting for his life on death row as a "NIGGER" (why bother with the asterisks at all?)! Is that really where it's at with Ebony nowadays? Freedom of expression is one thing, but gross negligence is quite another! As one of the most well-respected Black publications in the US and world, surely you must realize that much of Black America views the case against Mumia with a healthy amount of skepticism, not to mention his being an internationally recognized author, scholar and champion of human rights. Someone with maturity should have pointed out to this "blogger and cultural commentator" that this was an extremely reckless and slanderous statement to make regarding anyone at all, let alone a colleague and fellow practicing journalist!
Right now there is a major campaign to urge Attorney General Eric Holder to open a civil rights investigation into the frame-up of Mumia. Ebony Magazine should agree to maintain at least the appearance of fairness and give space to the International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal to provide balance to this smear against Mumia which you printed in your publication. They must, at the very least, be given the opportunity to discuss the current state of the campaign to free Mumia and be able to point your readers toward resources to reach their own opinions regarding his case as soon as possible to refute Ms. Donaldson's commentary.
Marpessa Kupendua
Mumia Abu-Jamal on-line resources:
International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal: www.freemumia.com
Academics for Mumia: http://www.emajonline.com/index.php?action=4&content_id=311
Information and Analysis: http://abu-jamal-news.com/
Some of Mumia's journalism: http://www.prisonradio.org/mumia.htm
LIVE ON DEATH ROW: MUMIA AT THE CROSSROADSIN THE AGE OF OBAMA
From Mumia NYC:
HOLD THE DATE:
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Teacher's College
Columbia University
Speakers:
--Vijay Prashad, Celebrated social critic and author of Everybody Was Kong Fu Fighting, and Darker Nations: A People¹s History of the Third World
--Tentatively scheduled: Kathleen Cleaver, Yale Law professor and former Black Panther
Mumia Abu Jamal is a former Black Panther and the most famous death row inmate in the world today. He is the brilliant, humane, and prolific writer and advocate for social justice who has become known as the Voice of the Voiceless. A recent Supreme Court decision has once again, made Abu-Jamal vulnerable to execution. The time to act is now!
At the April 3 event we will attempt to advance the ongoing efforts to meet with Eric Holder to discuss the possibility of a civil rights investigation into Mumia's case. We will also foreground some of the best speakers from university and college life who clarify what is at stake, for all of us, in Mumia's case.
The many violations in the Abu-Jamal case and appeals process, decried the world over by such organizations as Amnesty International (including judicial misconduct, discrimination in jury selection, and police corruption and tampering with evidence to obtain a conviction), account for the
exponential and disproportionate incarceration of African Americans and Latinos in the United States over the last 30 years, making the issue of incarceration one of the gravest civil rights problems of our time.
In this moment of media-fascination with empty "race talk," we want to ignite a real conversation about the racialized character of mass and wrongful incarceration in America.
For more information and to help organize this event, email johanna.fernandez@baruch.cuny.edu or mark.taylor@ptsem.edu.
Sincerely,
Educators for Mumia Abu Jamal (EMAJ)
--Prof. Johanna Fernandez, Baruch College (CUNY)
--Prof. Mark L. Taylor, Princeton Theological Seminary
--Prof. Tameka Cage, Pittsburgh, PA
HOLD THE DATE:
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Teacher's College
Columbia University
Speakers:
--Vijay Prashad, Celebrated social critic and author of Everybody Was Kong Fu Fighting, and Darker Nations: A People¹s History of the Third World
--Tentatively scheduled: Kathleen Cleaver, Yale Law professor and former Black Panther
Mumia Abu Jamal is a former Black Panther and the most famous death row inmate in the world today. He is the brilliant, humane, and prolific writer and advocate for social justice who has become known as the Voice of the Voiceless. A recent Supreme Court decision has once again, made Abu-Jamal vulnerable to execution. The time to act is now!
At the April 3 event we will attempt to advance the ongoing efforts to meet with Eric Holder to discuss the possibility of a civil rights investigation into Mumia's case. We will also foreground some of the best speakers from university and college life who clarify what is at stake, for all of us, in Mumia's case.
The many violations in the Abu-Jamal case and appeals process, decried the world over by such organizations as Amnesty International (including judicial misconduct, discrimination in jury selection, and police corruption and tampering with evidence to obtain a conviction), account for the
exponential and disproportionate incarceration of African Americans and Latinos in the United States over the last 30 years, making the issue of incarceration one of the gravest civil rights problems of our time.
In this moment of media-fascination with empty "race talk," we want to ignite a real conversation about the racialized character of mass and wrongful incarceration in America.
For more information and to help organize this event, email johanna.fernandez@baruch.cuny.edu or mark.taylor@ptsem.edu.
Sincerely,
Educators for Mumia Abu Jamal (EMAJ)
--Prof. Johanna Fernandez, Baruch College (CUNY)
--Prof. Mark L. Taylor, Princeton Theological Seminary
--Prof. Tameka Cage, Pittsburgh, PA
Friday, February 26, 2010
Leonard Peltier Solidarity Statement with Mumia Abu-Jamal
From Freedom Archives:
Greetings brothers and sisters, and thank you for attending this event to listen, learn, teach, and organize. I am Leonard Peltier, a proud Lakota and Anishinabe American Indian activist, organizer, and patriot. I am likewise, unfortunately, a fellow political prisoner in this 'land of the free.'
I, along with my family, my supporters, and American Indians everywhere, know full well what the justice system of the United States can mean to the brown man, the black man, and any man or woman who dares to think or talk truth to power.
That we have been made targets in our own country should outrage every single man and woman everywhere, no matter the color, background or political leaning. That this country continues the barbaric practices of executions should be opposed by all people of conscience.
Whether or not you approve of capital punishment is irrelevant as long as minorities are executed with alarming disparities. Whether you approve or not is of secondary concern when people like Mumia Abu Jamal, myself and many others are convicted and sentenced to die with evidence that would exonerate most any white man. As such, every single progressive organization should oppose the death penalty as we now know it.
This has not been a case of justice or the law, it has been politics, racism, and control, and we should confront these issues long before we decide who to execute. As long as we have these inequities in our midst, we will continue to convict and execute innocents. Execute - let's call it what it really is - state sanctioned murder! Why does America allow this brand of 'justice' to exist?
That is a question that must haunt the soul of every true American patriot. For as long as it does, America can never be the bastion of freedom it has claimed to be, the light in the darkness it wants to be, nor the high ground of morality it hopes to be.
Pay attention to the names this government uses when it is opposed. The American government has called other countries 'evil empire' and 'axis of evil.' The rest of the world hears this and scoffs!
Why? Because they see this country convicting, imprisoning, and executing innocent minorities and political liabilities while claiming to be a free society - because they see corporate personhood allowing the rape of the Earth and desecration of the sacred - because they see this country waging illegal war while claiming to love peace - and because they see this country propping up murderous dictators while giving lip service to human rights. The rest of the world sees all of this and wonders, is not America the real evil empire?
I, like Mumia, have been called a terrorist by my own government. Well, I never knew a terrorist who advocated the rule of law as we have. Some people need to find a new dictionary!
There may be other parts of the world which are breeding grounds for terrorism, but this government makes sure they have fertile ground to harvest. We are not the terrorists! I love my country. Progressive thinking people love this country. It is thusly our patriotic duty to respond to such government with righteous indignation! It is only when we allow a corrupt government to corrupt our very minds that a patriot becomes a terrorist!
As long as you are willing to work for justice, all political prisoners can still hope for freedom. Real power starts from the bottom and goes up, not the other way around. Free Mumia!
In solidarity,
Leonard Peltier
2-13-2010
Greetings brothers and sisters, and thank you for attending this event to listen, learn, teach, and organize. I am Leonard Peltier, a proud Lakota and Anishinabe American Indian activist, organizer, and patriot. I am likewise, unfortunately, a fellow political prisoner in this 'land of the free.'
I, along with my family, my supporters, and American Indians everywhere, know full well what the justice system of the United States can mean to the brown man, the black man, and any man or woman who dares to think or talk truth to power.
That we have been made targets in our own country should outrage every single man and woman everywhere, no matter the color, background or political leaning. That this country continues the barbaric practices of executions should be opposed by all people of conscience.
Whether or not you approve of capital punishment is irrelevant as long as minorities are executed with alarming disparities. Whether you approve or not is of secondary concern when people like Mumia Abu Jamal, myself and many others are convicted and sentenced to die with evidence that would exonerate most any white man. As such, every single progressive organization should oppose the death penalty as we now know it.
This has not been a case of justice or the law, it has been politics, racism, and control, and we should confront these issues long before we decide who to execute. As long as we have these inequities in our midst, we will continue to convict and execute innocents. Execute - let's call it what it really is - state sanctioned murder! Why does America allow this brand of 'justice' to exist?
That is a question that must haunt the soul of every true American patriot. For as long as it does, America can never be the bastion of freedom it has claimed to be, the light in the darkness it wants to be, nor the high ground of morality it hopes to be.
Pay attention to the names this government uses when it is opposed. The American government has called other countries 'evil empire' and 'axis of evil.' The rest of the world hears this and scoffs!
Why? Because they see this country convicting, imprisoning, and executing innocent minorities and political liabilities while claiming to be a free society - because they see corporate personhood allowing the rape of the Earth and desecration of the sacred - because they see this country waging illegal war while claiming to love peace - and because they see this country propping up murderous dictators while giving lip service to human rights. The rest of the world sees all of this and wonders, is not America the real evil empire?
I, like Mumia, have been called a terrorist by my own government. Well, I never knew a terrorist who advocated the rule of law as we have. Some people need to find a new dictionary!
There may be other parts of the world which are breeding grounds for terrorism, but this government makes sure they have fertile ground to harvest. We are not the terrorists! I love my country. Progressive thinking people love this country. It is thusly our patriotic duty to respond to such government with righteous indignation! It is only when we allow a corrupt government to corrupt our very minds that a patriot becomes a terrorist!
As long as you are willing to work for justice, all political prisoners can still hope for freedom. Real power starts from the bottom and goes up, not the other way around. Free Mumia!
In solidarity,
Leonard Peltier
2-13-2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Flood the D of J phones demanding a civil rts investigation, & sign petitions
Tomorrow is call-in day to the Department of Justice Day. We've actually decided to do it once a week between now and April 26 when we are going to Washington. Every Thursday will be call-in day, and we will remind you. Leave a message on the Department of Justice Hotline: 202-353-1555. If the line is busy or does not respond, call 202-514-2000 and tell them what you're calling about.
Demand a Civil Rights Investigation into the Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal. Sound logical and knowledgeable. Tell them you know the Department of Justice has jurisdiction to conduct a civil rights investigation when egregious violations of civil rights occur. Also, explain that Mumia never got a fair trial, and that there is extensive evidence of police, prosecutorial, and judicial misconduct as well as exentsive evidence of Mumia's innocence that was systematically excluded by the courts from the record.
Keep those letter/petitions going as well. You can sign online, www.freemumia.com, or have a hard copy e-mailed to you if you request that. Get others to sign too. We need all this pressure to fight this uphill battle for justice for Mumia. Free Mumia! Free 'em All!
Save Monday, April 26, to be with us in Washington, DC!
Demand a Civil Rights Investigation into the Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal. Sound logical and knowledgeable. Tell them you know the Department of Justice has jurisdiction to conduct a civil rights investigation when egregious violations of civil rights occur. Also, explain that Mumia never got a fair trial, and that there is extensive evidence of police, prosecutorial, and judicial misconduct as well as exentsive evidence of Mumia's innocence that was systematically excluded by the courts from the record.
Keep those letter/petitions going as well. You can sign online, www.freemumia.com, or have a hard copy e-mailed to you if you request that. Get others to sign too. We need all this pressure to fight this uphill battle for justice for Mumia. Free Mumia! Free 'em All!
Save Monday, April 26, to be with us in Washington, DC!
Letter to Eric Holder for Civil Rights Investigation of the Case of MUMIA!
From Sis. Pam Africa:
Campaign for a Civil Rights Investigation of the Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal
P.O. Box 16, College Station, New York, NY 10030
Website: www.freemumia.com
February 19, 2010
Contacts:
Pam Africa, 215-476-8812
Dr. Suzanne Ross, 917-584-2135
Attorney General Eric Holder
Cc: Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez
Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
Dear Attorney General Holder:
We write to you about the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal. We are sure you know quite a bit about this case and about the person behind the “case.” As you probably have heard, we are asking the Department of Justice to review the extensive history of civil rights violations in this case, dating back to even before there was any issue of a crime involved, to the present day. We are eager to meet with you to discuss these violations. An international delegation will be available to meet with you on Monday, April 26. We certainly hope that it will be possible for you to arrange to see us at that time. By the beginning of April, we will provide you with a legal brief addressing the issues involved.
This letter, and the request we are submitting for a meeting, is our second approach to the Department of Justice in the past few months. Last November 12, we delivered approximately 20,000 letters (online and in hard copy) to the Department of Justice after holding a press conference at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. Henry Louis Gates, Jr, Cornel West, Noam Chomsky, Charles Rangel, Ruby Dee, Angela Davis, and Alice Walker were among the signers. We delivered the letters to the Department of Justice spokesperson, Alejandro Mijar. We explained to Mr. Mijar why we are calling for a civil rights investigation into Mumia’s case and also conveyed to him that we hoped to meet with you when we next came to the Department of Justice. This exchange with an official from the department was arranged by telephone by Dr. Suzanne Ross in conversation with the Office of the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Thomas E. Perez, through his secretary, Nathaniel Gamble.
We wish to return in April with many of us listed below as well as other national and international leaders representing unions, anti-death penalty groups, religious, legal, and human rights organizations. On April 26 we will explain the police, prosecutorial, and judicial patterns in this 28 year legal case that could hardly be said to represent the law but rather the lack of law. Clearly this is a very political and highly charged case. As such, the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal cries out for a review of the decades-long history of lawlessness and injustice.
We hope to hear from you in the very near future and very much look forward to sharing ideas about how a civil rights investigation might contribute to establishing fairness and justice in a case where an innocent man, a rather remarkable intellectual leader and visionary, is being railroaded to execution.
We are attaching a number of documents to give you a picture of the issues involved, the work we’ve done to educate people about a civil rights investigation, the support we’ve gotten, and some of the activities we’ve conducted. These are not legal documents. We will submit those in advance of our meeting with you.
Yours for justice,
National Conference of Black Lawyers
The Riverside Church Prison Ministry
Pam Africa, Chair, International Concerned Family & Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal
Sion Assidon, member of Moroccan Association of Human Rights, former political prisoner
Alan Benjamin, San Francisco Labor Council Executive Board member; International Liaison Committee of Workers and Peoples
Patrick Braouezec, former Mayor of Saint-Denis, France; current member of the French Parliament
Dr. Marvin Cheatham, NAACP, Baltimore City, President
Sister Empress Phile Chionesu, Founder and President General of the Original Million Woman March and Universal Movement, Philadelphia, PA
Michael Coard, Esq., Philadelphia, PA
Martha Conley, Esq., Pittsburgh, PA
Mireille Fanon-Mendes France, Chairperson, Frantz Fanon Foundation, Member of International Association of Democratic Lawyers
Larry Hales, Students and Youth for Mumia
Leslie Jones, Esq., Ithaca, NY
Jeff Mackler, Director, Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal (San Francisco)
Nada Khader, WESPAC Foundation
Cynthia McKinney, Former Congressional Representative, Atlanta, GA
Suryea Peterson, Westchester Martin Luther King, Jr. Institute for Non-Violence, Board member
Dr. Suzanne Ross, Co-chair, Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC)
Sundiata Sadiq, Ossining NAACP, former President
Fignole St. Cyr, Autonomous Unions of Haiti, President
Dr. Michael Schiffman, English Department, University of Heidelberg, Germany
Professor Mark Taylor, Princeton Theological Seminary, Educators for Mumia
Leon Williams, Esq., Philadelphia, PA
List of Attachments
Mass Grassroots Letter to Attorney General Eric Holder Congressional Black Caucus Letter to Attorney General Janet Reno, June 30, 1995
Statement by Martin Luther King, III 1999
Article by Hans Bennett, San Francisco Bay View
Article by Linn Washington, This Is No Victory, March 2008
NAACP Press Conference, July 2009
Julian Bond Statement on Democracy Now!, June 2009
Article by Linn Washington, Wrongs in Civil Rights Underlying Abu-Jamal Conviction, August 11, 2009
Final Call Article by Saeed Shabazz, October 30, 2009
November 12, 2009, Press Conference in Washington, DC
Final Call Article by Askia Muhammad, November 2009
Article by Linn Washington, Cracks in Mumia Abu-Jamal’s Case, December 10, 2009
Article by Linn Washington, The Mumia Exception, February 11, 2010
Campaign for a Civil Rights Investigation of the Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal
P.O. Box 16, College Station, New York, NY 10030
Website: www.freemumia.com
February 19, 2010
Contacts:
Pam Africa, 215-476-8812
Dr. Suzanne Ross, 917-584-2135
Attorney General Eric Holder
Cc: Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez
Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
Dear Attorney General Holder:
We write to you about the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal. We are sure you know quite a bit about this case and about the person behind the “case.” As you probably have heard, we are asking the Department of Justice to review the extensive history of civil rights violations in this case, dating back to even before there was any issue of a crime involved, to the present day. We are eager to meet with you to discuss these violations. An international delegation will be available to meet with you on Monday, April 26. We certainly hope that it will be possible for you to arrange to see us at that time. By the beginning of April, we will provide you with a legal brief addressing the issues involved.
This letter, and the request we are submitting for a meeting, is our second approach to the Department of Justice in the past few months. Last November 12, we delivered approximately 20,000 letters (online and in hard copy) to the Department of Justice after holding a press conference at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. Henry Louis Gates, Jr, Cornel West, Noam Chomsky, Charles Rangel, Ruby Dee, Angela Davis, and Alice Walker were among the signers. We delivered the letters to the Department of Justice spokesperson, Alejandro Mijar. We explained to Mr. Mijar why we are calling for a civil rights investigation into Mumia’s case and also conveyed to him that we hoped to meet with you when we next came to the Department of Justice. This exchange with an official from the department was arranged by telephone by Dr. Suzanne Ross in conversation with the Office of the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Thomas E. Perez, through his secretary, Nathaniel Gamble.
We wish to return in April with many of us listed below as well as other national and international leaders representing unions, anti-death penalty groups, religious, legal, and human rights organizations. On April 26 we will explain the police, prosecutorial, and judicial patterns in this 28 year legal case that could hardly be said to represent the law but rather the lack of law. Clearly this is a very political and highly charged case. As such, the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal cries out for a review of the decades-long history of lawlessness and injustice.
We hope to hear from you in the very near future and very much look forward to sharing ideas about how a civil rights investigation might contribute to establishing fairness and justice in a case where an innocent man, a rather remarkable intellectual leader and visionary, is being railroaded to execution.
We are attaching a number of documents to give you a picture of the issues involved, the work we’ve done to educate people about a civil rights investigation, the support we’ve gotten, and some of the activities we’ve conducted. These are not legal documents. We will submit those in advance of our meeting with you.
Yours for justice,
National Conference of Black Lawyers
The Riverside Church Prison Ministry
Pam Africa, Chair, International Concerned Family & Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal
Sion Assidon, member of Moroccan Association of Human Rights, former political prisoner
Alan Benjamin, San Francisco Labor Council Executive Board member; International Liaison Committee of Workers and Peoples
Patrick Braouezec, former Mayor of Saint-Denis, France; current member of the French Parliament
Dr. Marvin Cheatham, NAACP, Baltimore City, President
Sister Empress Phile Chionesu, Founder and President General of the Original Million Woman March and Universal Movement, Philadelphia, PA
Michael Coard, Esq., Philadelphia, PA
Martha Conley, Esq., Pittsburgh, PA
Mireille Fanon-Mendes France, Chairperson, Frantz Fanon Foundation, Member of International Association of Democratic Lawyers
Larry Hales, Students and Youth for Mumia
Leslie Jones, Esq., Ithaca, NY
Jeff Mackler, Director, Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal (San Francisco)
Nada Khader, WESPAC Foundation
Cynthia McKinney, Former Congressional Representative, Atlanta, GA
Suryea Peterson, Westchester Martin Luther King, Jr. Institute for Non-Violence, Board member
Dr. Suzanne Ross, Co-chair, Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC)
Sundiata Sadiq, Ossining NAACP, former President
Fignole St. Cyr, Autonomous Unions of Haiti, President
Dr. Michael Schiffman, English Department, University of Heidelberg, Germany
Professor Mark Taylor, Princeton Theological Seminary, Educators for Mumia
Leon Williams, Esq., Philadelphia, PA
List of Attachments
Mass Grassroots Letter to Attorney General Eric Holder Congressional Black Caucus Letter to Attorney General Janet Reno, June 30, 1995
Statement by Martin Luther King, III 1999
Article by Hans Bennett, San Francisco Bay View
Article by Linn Washington, This Is No Victory, March 2008
NAACP Press Conference, July 2009
Julian Bond Statement on Democracy Now!, June 2009
Article by Linn Washington, Wrongs in Civil Rights Underlying Abu-Jamal Conviction, August 11, 2009
Final Call Article by Saeed Shabazz, October 30, 2009
November 12, 2009, Press Conference in Washington, DC
Final Call Article by Askia Muhammad, November 2009
Article by Linn Washington, Cracks in Mumia Abu-Jamal’s Case, December 10, 2009
Article by Linn Washington, The Mumia Exception, February 11, 2010
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