3 years ago, today, i attended my first protest. it was a cold, rainy winter day outside the Constitution Center downtown Philadelphia where we gathered to celebrate Mumia Abu-Jamals release from death row while, at the same time, protesting the life sentence that State put in its place. a lot of people ask me when and how was i politicized. it was first semester of my first year of grad school. Mumia called into Dr. Mark Taylors Systematic Theology class, literally live from death row. i remember his voice, a voice that i have come to know well over the past few years. i remember him talking about freedom and injustice, about Empire and the possibility of creating a new world where all human beings can flourish. i remember leaving that class knowing that my life would never be the same. two weeks later i was in his hometown listening to Cornel West and Pam Africa. this was before the sophisticated theories, before the published articles, before Ferguson and #BlackLivesMatter. i had jus turned 22, and all i wanted was to make a make a difference, to be a part of something i felt was so much bigger than me and anything i could do on my own. looking back, that was the day i turned my back on the so-called American dream and joined the movement. it was the best decision of my life. thank you Dr. Taylor and FREE #Mumia!
Posted on: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 20:49:47 +0000
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