Have Black Lives Ever Mattered? (City Lights Open Media)
by Mumia Abu-Jamal
92 Members (4.29)
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"'This collection of short meditations, written from a prison cell, captures the past two decades of police violence that gave rise to Black Lives Matter while digging deeply into the history of the United States. This is the book we need right now to find our bearings in the chaos'--Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, author of An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States; 'Mumia's writings are a wake-up call. He is a voice from our prophetic tradition, speaking to us here, now, lovingly, show more urgently'--Cornel West; 'He allows us to reflect upon the fact that transformational possibilities often emerge where we least expect them'--Angela Y. Davis; In December 1981, Mumia Abu Jamal was shot and beaten into unconsciousness by Philadelphia police. He awoke to find himself shackled to a hospital bed, accused of killing a cop. He was convicted and sentenced to death in a trial that Amnesty International has denounced as failing to meet the minimum standards of judicial fairness. In Have Black Lives Ever Mattered? Mumia gives voice to the many people of color who have fallen to police bullets or racist abuse, and offers the post-Ferguson generation advice on how to address police abuse in the United States. This collection of his radio commentaries on the topic features an in-depth essay written especially for this book to examine the history of policing in America, with its origins in the white slave patrols of the antebellum South and an explicit mission to terrorize the country's Black population. Applying a personal, historical, and political lens, Mumia provides a righteously angry and calmly principled radical Black perspective on how racist violence is tearing our country apart and what must be done to turn things around. Mumia Abu-Jamal is author of many books, including Death Blossoms, Live from Death Row, All Things Censored, and Writing on the Wall"--Provided by publisher. show lessTags
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Mumia Abu-Jamal is an award-winning journalist & author of two books, "Live from Death Row" & "Death Blossoms", which address prison life from a critical & spiritual perspective. In 1981 he was elected president of the Association of Black Journalists (Philadelphia chapter). His 1982 murder trial & subsequent conviction has raised considerable show more controversy & criticism for alleged constitutional violations & other improprieties. In spite of his almost two-decade long imprisonment on death row, Abu-Jamal has fought for his freedom & for his profession. He holds a BA from Goddard College & an MA from California State University, Dominguez Hills. His books have sold more than 100,000 copies & have been translated into seven languages. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Classifications
- Genre
- Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 323.1196 — Social sciences Political science Civil and political rights Minority Politics Specific Groups Biography And History African Origin
- LCC
- E185.86 .A28 — History of the United States United States Elements in the population Afro-Americans Status and development since emancipation
- BISAC
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- Members
- 92
- Popularity
- 347,526
- Rating
- (4.29)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 3
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 1
