The People's War Radio Show, Episode #57: Free Jamil Al Amin (H. Rap Brown) and honor Mafundi Lake

Black Power Talks

Thirty-four U.S. states are currently seeking to deny the right to free speech and political association by passing new laws. On April 26, 2021, Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed into law an "anti-riot" bill making it a felony to block a highway or destroy colonial statues during protests among other measures designed to quash the growing resistance against police violence.

We talk with Bilal Sunni Ali about the case of Jamil Al Amin (H. Rap Brown), after whom the 1968 "anti-riot act" was named. This law made it a felony to cross state lines "with the intent to incite, promote, encourage, participate in and carry on a riot" and was passed as part of the U.S. government's program to militarily defeat the Black Power movement of the 1960s.

Al Amin was the subject of constant surveillance and harassment since that time and has most recently been incarcerated since 2000. He is now 77, suffers ill health and is being denied proper medical care behind bars.

We also talk with Carolyn Weyni Lake, widow of Mafundi Lake, martyred political prisoner known for his decades of Black Power organizing in Birmingham, Alabama and inside the notorious Atmore-Holman prison. Mafundi died in prison on January 21, 2018.