“Malcolm Jenkins Should Help Political Prisoners Get Presidential Pardons” by Kerry Shakaboona Marshall.
Malcolm Jenkins, Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl champion, and superb social activist for Black people in America. Great article in the New York Times have responded to President Trump’s clemency offer to individuals. It was measured in tone, mature, thought provoking, and 100% factually and actually correct in every aspect.
However, as great a response article to Trump as it was, there are Black, Native American, Latino, and Caucasian political prisoners of the struggle who have been languishing in prison since the 1960s and 1970s for nearly half a century. Like Dr. Mutulu Shakur of the Black Panther Party and Leonard Peltier of the American Indian Movement, whose lives can be saved at this moment with a presidential pardon, whom otherwise will die in federal prison without it.
There is a common understanding among freedom fighters around the world: never leave your political prisoners to die in the enemy’s prisons, if we can help them. For they are heroes and sheroes of the struggle, and we have a duty to help free them from the death by incarceration sentences given to them by this American government.
Although presidential pardons for a few or mass of individuals is not a panacea for systemic, institutionalized, white supremacy and racial oppression. Nonetheless, such presidential pardons can set at liberty some captive women and men that were victims of [inaudible], the war on drugs, and mass incarceration against Black and Brown peoples.
Therefore, let us seize the moment by calling on all athletes and celebrities to seek presidential pardons for our political prisoners, our innocents, our unduly convicted, those serving disproportionate sentences, and for our truly deserving people. We are counting on you all.
From the belly of the beast at Prison Radio, I am Shakaboona. Thank you for listening.
These commentaries are recorded by Noelle Hanrahan of Prison Radio.