Racism and the Death Penalty

Paper Summary:

This paper is a discussion of black activist, author, and self-described political prisoner, Mumia Abu-Jamal, author of "Live from Death Row". The paper looks at how Abu-Jamal, who is awaiting execution for a crime he insists he did not commit, has written scathingly about racism in America and the particular racism of the death penalty.

From the Paper:

"Abu-Jamal's writings convey the deep-rooted rage of many blacks in America who believe that justice is not color-blind but instead discriminates against black men, especially when their victims are white. Abu-Jamal is a powerful writer, though his writings are targeted to an almost exclusively black audience and his interest seems focused principally on inspiring his audience to political action. His fury, and the perspective that he represents, is almost diametrically opposed to the moderate, mainstream voices of civil rights activism most closely associated with the late Martin Luther King Jr. His writings are worth studying for the understanding they give of the ways that civil rights has failed many blacks in America and the suggestion that racism continues to be a powerful social issue."

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