|
Dear Friend,
Mumia Abu-Jamal is at the heart of what we do here at Prison Radio—and has been for over three decades. Before his incarceration, Mumia was already an accomplished journalist: news director at WDAS and a reporter at NPR’s flagship station, WHYY. He continued reporting from behind bars, defining what it means to produce radio essays and journalism from the inside. In 1992, we became his radio producers, recording and broadcasting his essays.
As censorship has escalated and retaliation increased, we’ve evolved into organizers and legal advocates—not just producers.
We litigate. We agitate. And we know his freedom will be realized. But along the way, there are battles.
Here is another one.
SCI Mahanoy has declared war on Mumia’s books and papers.
Mumia Abu-Jamal has been imprisoned for 43 years and lives under Death by Incarceration (DBI)—the slow death row—also known as LWOP (Life Without the Possibility of Parole.) Throughout his incarceration, prisons have tried to deny nourishment: fresh air, healthy food, and sustenance for the mind—books and correspondence.
During his 29 years on death row, Mumia was allowed only 10 books at a time. He often had to choose between keeping Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon and Vincent Harding’s There Is a River.
Now, we’re seeing a return to this kind punishment for asserting his humanity and his prodigious intellectual output.
|
