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Black history, Black Liberation Army, political prisoners, Sekou Odinga - 18 janvier 2024

Sekou Odinga, Black liberation fighter and former political prisoner, passes at 79

Sekou Odinga, a former United States political prisoner for 33 years stemming from his involvement in the Black liberation movement, passed away on January 12. Odinga was a part of several of the most impactful organizations in US Black liberation history, including Malcolm X’s Organization of Afro-American Unity, the Black Panther Party, and the Black Liberation Army. Odinga is also known for his role in the escape of fellow political prisoner Assata Shakur, who lives free in Cuba to this day.

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Kevin Rashid Johnson, political prisoners, prisoners - 5 janvier 2024

Virginia Prisoners Hunger Strike at Red Onion State Prison

On Tuesday, December 26, 2023, several prisoners confined at Virginia’s Red Onion State Prison began a hunger strike to protest the continued use of long-term solitary confinement within the institution.Despite critical concern, outcry from the public and prisoner populations in the state, incarcerated people are still subjected to this brutal practice which has been renamed “restorative housing” since July 1, 2023 when measures were passed to limit its use in the state. Leading these prisoners in this effort is longtime prison activist, revolutionary writer and artist, Kevin “Rashid” Johnson. Rashid has stated that no one will take any food at...

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Ed Mead, political prisoners - 15 novembre 2023

Ed Mead. Rest in Power

It is with great sadness that we have learned that former political prisoner and longtime communist and anti-prison organizer Ed Mead has died. Ed passed on November 6th, his birthday. As many know, he had been struggling with cancer for many years, continuing to live way beyond expectations and projections, making it seem like maybe he would be with us forever. Sadly, not to be the case. He died on his 82nd birthday, at home and surrounded by loved ones. We encourage you to read the statement written by some of his closest comrades here: Ed Mead Joins the Ancestors. We worked with Ed on-and-off for years;...

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14 novembre 2023

Ed Mead Joins the Ancestors

“Regardless of when a general change in political consciousness may come to the U.S., the fact remains that the march of history and the forces of progress are on our side. Through the process of our struggle we will make important changes right now, changes that will also help to propel that much needed rise in consciousness right here in the belly of the beast.”— Ed Mead (1941–2023) A photo of the George Jackson Brigade in 2010. Ed is in the foreground, to the left. Above, from left to right, is Mark Cook, bo brown, and Janine Bertram. On November 6,...

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13 novembre 2023

Back to Red Onion State Prison — The Site of Entrenched Racism and Past Abuse (2023) by Kevin “Rashid” Johnson

On October 30,2023, I was transferred to Red Onion State Prison (ROSP), a Virgina prison with an extensive history of racism and abuse. Red Onion’s notoriety goes back to when the prison first opened, with a 1999 report by Human Rights Watch (HRW). I was held at ROSP when HRW investigated and reported on it, and I witnessed and suffered all the abuses and racism revealed in the report. In fact, I spent many years afterward resisting and continuing to report on abuses at ROSP. In response, Virginia officials exiled and bounced me between numerous other state prison systems, landing...

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