Remembering George Jackson: 40 Years Later
Today—August 21, 2011—marks the 40th anniversary of the murder of George Jackson by the San Quentin prison administration. But his legacy lives on in today’s struggles. On this day, we hope you will take a moment to learn more about the history of George Jackson and others like him who have resisted state repression and demanded justice for prisoners.
Our friends at the Freedom Archives have put together a tribute video for the occasion:
You can also listen to (and download!) the George Jackson Tribute Mixtape compiled by Jared Ball, author of I Mix What I Like: A Mixtape Manifesto. Check that out here.
Both the video and the mixtape borrow some audio from the Freedom Archives/AK Press audio documentary Prisons on Fire: George Jackson, Attica, and Black Liberation. We encourage you to get a copy, listen, and share it. Make sure it is in our local library; use it in your own mixtapes; encourage your local radio station to broadcast it. The 40th anniversary of the Attica Rebellion is coming up on September 9, and these two anniversaries are a good chance to reflect on the histories of George Jackson and Attica and their lessons for our movements for prison abolition.
For more resources on the history of prisoner resistance and today’s struggles against the Prison Industrial Complex, check out the Prisons/Prisoners section on our website. In honor of George Jackson and Attica (as well as the recent prison hunger strikes), we’ve also put together a discounted Prisoner Resistance Package this month that includes Prisons on Fire as well as Marshall “Eddie” Conway’s autobiography Marshall Law, and When the Prisoners Ran Walpole. There are countless other histories to be kept alive and learned from.
But on this day, we remember George Jackson.