This is Comrade Uhuru of the Free Virginia Movement. As we inch ever so closer towards the September 9 anniversary of the Attica Prison Rebellion, which happened back in 1971, we, of the Free Virginia Movement stand in complete and total solidarity with all revolutionary minded prisoners who are putting our lives on the line to combat and resist mass incarceration and cruel, unusual and torturous prison conditions, especially those rebel prisoners in Alabama, California, Georgia, Mississippi, and Texas prison systems, to name just a few.
Though our prison conditions here in the Confederate state of Virginia may not be as extreme as what these incarcerated brothers and sisters are facing, we, in the Virginia prison system are experiencing our own special and unique brand of racist cruelty and injustice and that is the abolition of parole back in 1995 and implementation of Truth in Sentencing laws, which requires us to serve a whopping 85% of our sentences.
Many of us come into the Virginia prison system as juveniles and teenagers, and leave out in far worse conditions because of the lack of parole eligibility, decent medical care, competent mental health treatment and up-to-date educational and vocational programs. Many of us serve so many years in prison that most of our family members have died off by the time we are released, leaving us with little to no family support. So, come this month of September, in solidarity with the growing national prison movement, we will make our voices heard, our plight known to the masses. If you want to learn more about our Free Virginia Movement, or want to support us in any way, write to the Free Virginia Movement at PO Box 4571 Midlothian, m, i, d, l, o, t, h, i, a, n, Virginia, zip code, 23112. Thanks for listening.
These commentaries are recorded by Noelle Hanrahan of Prison Radio.
