Primary Artist: Henry Bortman
Created: San Francisco Collective, 1994
Medium: Offset printed
Dimensions: 18″ x 24″
Mumia Abu-Jamal is an American political activist and journalist who was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in 1982 for the 1981 killing of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. When his death sentence was overturned in 2001, he was described as “perhaps the world’s best-known death-row inmate” by The New York Times. During his imprisonment, Abu-Jamal has published books and commentaries on social and political issues; his first book was Live from Death Row (1995).
Mumia was targeted by the Philadelphia police and the FBI’s COINTELPRO because of his activism and support of Black MOVE activists. In 1985, a police helicopter dropped two bombs onto the roof of the MOVE compound. The resulting fire killed six MOVE members and five of their children, and destroyed 65 houses in the neighborhood. Due to massive international pressure, Mumia’s death penalty was reduced in 2011 to life in prison, without the possibility of parole. Since then, he has been in general-population in a Pennsylvania prison.
He has also struggled with major health issues including Hep C, congestive heart failure and COVID 19, which have only been treated after public outcry. This poster was one of many intended to raise support for Mumia.
Image: In the left, photograph of Mumia in 1980s with a black background. Purple color bar down the right hand side.
Words: Free Mumia Abu-Jamal. Abolish the death penalty, Mumia Abu-Jamal is innocent.
Color: black, green, purple ink on white paper
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