Posted May 7, 2009 Book release, birthday events in solidarity with Mumia Ab-Jamal By Betsey Piette Award-winning journalist
Mumia Abu-Jamal’s sixth book, “Jailhouse Lawyers: Prisoners
Defending Prisoners v. the U.S.A.,” written from death row, pays tribute
to prisoners who became self-taught lawyers to help defend the rights of other
prisoners who would otherwise be denied legal
representation. On April 24 and 25, the
book was presented in over a dozen cities across the U.S. to open a new stage in
the battle for Abu-Jamal’s life and freedom. These events also
commemorated Mumia’s April 24 birthday shortly after the U.S. Supreme
Court denied a review of his case. In Harlem over 200 people packed a room at Riverside Church April 25 at a
program chaired by Sundiata Sadiq and Suzanne Ross, leaders of the New York Free
Mumia Coalition. Former political
prisoner Angela Davis was shown on video and spoke about the foreword that she
wrote for Mumia’s book. Cultural performances were provided by The Welfare
Poets and the Academy Award-nominated Impact Repertory Theatre, the singing,
dancing and spoken-word youth group. Speakers included Paul Wright,
editor of Prison Legal News, who said laws were “codified by judges to
serve the ruling class.” Temple professor Linn Washington Jr. described
the many contradictory court rulings on local, state and federal levels used to
deny justice for Abu-Jamal. In San
Diego, a celebration of life, courage and struggle honoring Abu-Jamal was
held at the Malcolm X library on April 24. All present signed a hand-decorated
card for Mumia and heard a birthday greeting from Assata
Shakur. Many who attended also
marched on May Day and then made their way to the World Beat Center in San
Diego’s Balboa Park. The video “In Prison My Whole Life” was
shown there before a concert. Many people were not aware of some information
presented in this video, which traces the events leading up to Mumia’s
arrest and conviction with new photos and
evidence. Sylvia Telafaro, president of
AAWA, read a poem for Mumia, and Eliote Lieb gave an update on Mumia’s
case. The band Wadi said the struggle to free Mumia and all political prisoners
must continue. Njeri Shakur, an organizer
with the Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement that sponsored the evening, told
the audience, “It is so important that we are here, united, to stand up
for Mumia and continue to build the broad movement that will free him.”
Long-time civil rights activist Ester King, Black Panther Ayanna Ade, and gay
rights and prison activist Ray Hill read from the just-released
book. A moving tribute was paid to
Texas’s most famous jailhouse lawyer, David Ruiz, whose 1978-79 civil
trial was the longest in U.S. jurisprudence history. At his trial, 110 prisoners
testified at great risk, and were able to force the legal system to listen.
Chapter 7 in Mumia’s book is about Ruiz and the changes he made in Texas
prisons. Monica Moorehead, Gloria
Verdieu and Gloria Rubac contributed to this
report. |
|
---|