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Abolition Of Repression
“Abolition of Repression.” Legates, friends, comrades, brothers, and sisters. Greetings! There can be no serious consideration of the subject of prison abolition in America without reflection on the work of black feminist scholar activist Dr.… Full Transcript
Bryant Arroyo Speech for Fourth Annual Toxic Prison Conference
Fourth annual convergence, Fight Toxic Prisons, North Central College. I’d like to start off by saying that it is a great pleasure and honor to share in the fourth annual Fight Toxic Prisons convergence in… Full Transcript
Explosion of the Yellow Vest
Greetings comrades friends, brothers, sisters. As the new year dawns, it is important to view developments happening in the west with new, cool eyes. Socialists often see each critical event as a crisis in capitalism.… Full Transcript
To Free or Not To Free
“To Free or Not to Free: Alveda King: 90, Black celebrities: 0” by Kerry “Shakaboona” Marshall. When Reverend Alveda King, the Atlanta pastor and niece of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. met with… Full Transcript
NFL Players Adopt a Federal Prison
“Hashtag NFL players adopt a federal prisoner for President Trump’s pardon,” by Kerry Shakaboona Marshall. It was very noble of celebrity Kim Kardashian to visit the White House to meet with President Trump and plead… Full Transcript
A Bright Shining Hell
“Imagine.” Imagine living, eating, sleeping, relieving oneself, daydreaming, weeping, but mostly waiting, in the room the size of your bathroom. Now imagine doing all those things, but mostly waiting, for the rest of your life.… Full Transcript
Have Black Lives Ever Mattered?
“Have Black Lives Ever Mattered? An Introduction.” Does the title of this work seem provocative? If so, then good. That’s how it’s intended to be, for if the question is provocative, then what of the… Full Transcript
An Abolitionist Life
What does it mean to call oneself an abolitionist? The word doesn’t mean today what it meant 150 years ago. Then, it meant an end to what some have called ‘America’s Original Sin’–Slavery. Today? Well,… Full Transcript
National Disaster and Prisoners
Good evening. My name is Charles Karim Diggs. Once again, I’m at Graterford prison in Pennsylvania. My number is AK7945. I want to talk about, uh, the, the hurricane that’s going on in the country… Full Transcript
Mass Incarceration
My name is Omar Askia Ali, AKA Edward Sistrunk. I’m calling in reference to the, uh, mass incarceration. The United States imprisons more residents than any other nation in the world. Over 2.2 million individuals… Full Transcript
What Drives Mass Incarceration?
Hello everyone, my name is Charles Karim Diggs. I’m at Graterford prison in Pennsylvania. My number is AK7945, Box 244, Graterford, PA 19426. And I wanted to speak to you today, and my little subject… Full Transcript
Prison Nation
“Prison Nation.” When I left Death Row, I could no longer use my signature sign off: “live from death row,” which incidentally was the title of my first book. I had to find a new… Full Transcript
Public Health
My name is Charles Karim Diggs, calling from, uh, Pennsylvania, Graterford prison. And, uh, this additional, uh, topic I would like to talk about public health. There is a public health problem in America, which… Full Transcript
August 8th
Early morning. A time of rest, quiet and repose. On August 8th, 1978, only the early birds in search of worms were stirring. Also, cops assembled, heavily armed. They attacked the MOVE House in Powelton… Full Transcript
The National Disease of America
Don’t Get Trapped
This is Wilbert Sanders, also known as Jazz the Poet with one I called “Don’t Get Trapped.” Since music calms the savage beast, let’s compose a song with lyrics so strong, violence actually comes to… Full Transcript
Crucial Times
“Crucial Times.” We reside inside a peculiar nation plagued by dark clouds of separation, overloaded from policies and restrictions deliberately causing disarray and confliction. Numerous walls are efficiently erected and showing the privilege remain protected… Full Transcript
The Return Of The Missing Citizens
“Return of the Missing Citizens: Why So Many Citizens in Prison?” American prisons, on any given day, have over 3 million or more women and men in jail. These prisons are local, county, statewide—also the… Full Transcript
Lifers Do Better On Parole
Statistics show that 85 to 90 percent of those incarcerated are in prison for economically related crimes, mostly due to poverty and lack of education and lack of employable skills. Moreover, the recidivism rate among… Full Transcript
“A Big Let Down.” On October 28, 2019, the first ever presidential town hall hosted by formerly incarcerated people was held at Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary. The historic site of the first modern prison in… Full Transcript