By Derek Wall Mumia Abu-Jamal — on death row for more than 30 years in Pennsylvania for a murder he didn’t commit — is an iconic figure. Yet while the struggle for his freedom continues, less attention is given to his role as a political leader.
Referring to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, he said: “If ever there were a time to honestly question the madness at the heart of capitalism, it is now, as people are repulsed by what they are seeing, week after week, and now month after month, of environmental wreckage, corporate greed, and government subservience.
“Because, in truth, this is what capitalism, unbridled, unregulated, looks like: the spoilage of the natural world for private gain.”
Mumia signs this and many of his messages with the words “Ona Move! Long Live John Africa!” In doing so, he acknowledges the political influence of the controversial radical Philadelphia radical group, MOVE, an influence reflected in his ecosocialism.
His work in exposing the violence with which the authorities suppressed MOVE was the primary reason for Mumia being targeted and framed.
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