A Nation Behind Bars: the buried talents of a population

Mumia's life is spared, but thousands of other prisoners still cry out for justice

Mumia Abu Jamal

A black man, Mumia Abu Jamal was for many years on death row after a trial that represented the extreme of procedural unfairness. A convicted cop killer, it is impossible to say for sure that Mr. Abu-Jamal is guilty, because our vaunted "due process" was suspended in his case. And it was clearly suspended because, unlike so many prominent black figures, he simply would not compromise with American racism. He would not moderate his appearance, his dress or his beliefs in exchange for a ticket to the mainstream. As a member of the Black Panthers, and later as a radio journalist covering the Move bombing in Philadelphia, he uncompromisingly identified racism wherever he saw it and would not shut up.

Writing of the beatings, torture and occasional murder of prisoners by guards in Pennsylvania's maximum security prisons, Mr. Abu-Jamal says in his book Live From Death Row, (Addison-Wesley 1995), p. 105:

But all [prisoners] found out how fragile the very system that stole their very freedom was when the state committed crimes against them. All found out that words like 'justice,' 'law,' 'civil rights,' and, yes, 'crime' have different and elastic meanings depending on whose rights were violated, who committed what crimes against whom, and whether one works for the system or against it.

For those people, almost a million at last count, who wear the label 'prisoner' around their necks, there is no law, there is no justice, there are no rights.

We must keep our vigil of faith and courage

flickering candle

Please join the struggle.
A single candle seems very alone,
but together we can roll back the night.


The Debt


Malcolm X wrote:

The American white man's malignant superiority complex has done him more harm than an invading army. [p 317]

The world's non-whites know how [the African-American through history] has loved the American white man, and slaved for him, tended to him, nursed him. He has jumped into uniform and gone off and died when this America was attacked by enemies both white and non-white. Such a faithful, loyal friend as this -- and still America bombs him, and sets dogs on him, and turns fire-hoses on him, and jails him by the thousands, and beats him bloody, and inflicts upon him all manner of other crimes. [p 316]

Most of my mail exposed to me the white man's two major dreads. The first one was his own private belief that God wrathfully is going to destroy this civilization. And the white man's second most pervading dread was his image of the black man entering the body of the white woman. [p 306]

Conversion:
The truth can be quickly received, or received at all, only by a sinner who knows and admits that he is guilty of having sinned much. Stated another way: only guilt admitted accepts truth. The Bible again: the one people whom Jesus could not help were the Pharisees; they didn't feel they needed any help. [p 189]

SEE the Mumia Links below.

Thanks to those webmasters providing cross-links

Online Resources Available for Browsing

General Sites:

Sentencing Inequity .
Innocent and on Death Row .
Innocent Web Ring .
Innocence and the Death Penalty .
Injustice Line - good site.
Let's Talk about Freedom, by Kay Lee.
Can't Jail the Spirit.
See the Lonnie DeWitt case.
Dark Sorrow's Site.
Bigots With Badges.
Racist Psychiatry .
Prison Zone.
Prison Racism .
ARA Links.
PARC Site.
Got to have Hope .
Racism in prison system .
Inequities of Foster System .
Our family could have been saved (Malcolm).
Inherent racism of death penalty.
Clergy coalition to end executions .
Punishment is the Crime .
Prison and Justice Links.




We   ALL
Mumia Abu-Jamal
helped   out

Mumia Abu-Jamal -- Sites on the web:

Mumia, Basic Background.
Freedom Journal :: the Mumia Network.
Mobilization to Free Mumia.
Wideman Essay, Mumia.
American Gulag.
Justice demands: Free Mumia.
Protest From Death Row.
Justice for Mumia - UK .
Justice for Mumia Abu Jamal.
Labor Solidarity for Mumia .
Why Mumia? .
Mumia must live - UK.
Int'l support for Mumia .
European Network to Free MumiaMumia .
Brazil suppport for Mumia .
Holland suppport for Mumia .
Moratorium, intl support .
Geronimo is Out, NOW free mumia.
Writings of Mumia.
Refuse and Resist: updates .
There'll be FIRE in the skies
     IF MUMIA DIES

Hatred Must Be Taught

thanks to freelogo.com





Some Afro-centric (AA) Sites:

Black family torn apart
AfroNet
One peoples
Strong Men
Black Quest
African Genesis
Black Oracles [search] .
The Dual Heritage
The Multiracial Activist
Afrika dot com - Afrisearch.
The Afrocentric Experience .
Ancestor Page, afrocentric links .
It makes whitey MAD: the black superiority question.
Like Potiphar's wife: the white seductress .
Universal Delilah: black men beware!
Are white do-gooders pushing abortion of blacks?
Abortion threatens black people worldwide.
Dangerous minds? America needs lots of them!
Black Families (building tomorrow)
Black Panther National Anthem.
Abortion's real aftermath.
Harambee AA PAGE
Jobs, Employment and Opportunity Issues - minorities emphasis

MedinaErth's Injustice LINKS.
Sing, the Beloved Country (Mandela's Africa)- hopeful forecast
Islamic Africa crossroads of the world?
Justice Gone Amok -- lawless lawmen.




If you spot a bad link, have a link to list, or wish your link to be removed
email web wonk


Be sure to click your bookmarks or favorites/hot list...


What happens to a dream deferred?

What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore
And then run?
. . . Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?

by

- Langston Hughes


Mumia Abu Jamal





This VP African American Chat WebRing site is owned by A Nation Behind Bars

Want to join the
VP African American Chat WebRing?
[Skip Prev] [Prev] [Next] [Skip Next] [Random] [Next 5] [List Sites]



[next site] [skip next site]
[previous site] [skip previous site]

E D U C A T I N G     T H E
B L A C K     M I N D


For site owner Email web wonk
[JOIN NOW]
[Let's Chat]

[next 5 sites] [previous 5 sites]
[random site] [list sites]



RACE TRAITOR
treason to whiteness
Not crazy at all, Just HUMANE
is loyalty to humanity.



two souls



The Debt