In Defense of Mumia - Softcover

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Softcover

ISBN 10: 0863160999 ISBN 13: 9780863160998

Publisher: Writers & Readers, 1996

In 1982, the award-winning journalist and former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal was convicted of killing a Philadephia police officer and was sentenced to death. He was on death row for 13 years before a groundswell of public opinion questioned the fairness of his trial and demanded a stay of execution. In August 1995, artists, activists, and concerned citizens met in New York City to demand a new trial. This book documents their overwhelming outpouring of support.

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From Booklist:

On December 9, 1982, Mumia Abu-Jamal, a black journalist moonlighting as a cab driver in Philadelphia, came upon a violent confrontation between his brother and a police officer. Mumia rushed to the aid of his brother, and in the gunplay that ensued, Mumia was wounded and the officer was shot and killed. What happened that night has been debated: the murder weapon did not match the gun in Mumia's possession, a man was seen fleeing the scene by some witnesses, and the star witness for the prosecution was a woman of questionable character and motive. At any rate, Mumia was convicted and sentenced to death, and his strange career has become a cause celebre. Editors Anderson and Medina have brought together a formidable group of artists, politicians, and activists--including Gwendolyn Brooks, Allen Ginsberg, Toni Morrison, Sonia Sanchez, Cornel West, John Edgar Wideman, Standing Deer, and more--in defense of Mumia in this collection of prose, poetry, and art. The book does an excellent job of defining this issue in U.S. history. Bonnie Smothers

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