Full Name
Date of Birth
Mumia Abu-Jamal was born on April 24, 1954, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[2].
Early Life and Name
Born Wesley Cook, he took the name Mumia (“Prince”) in high school while taking a class on African cultures. In 1971, he added Abu-Jamal (“father of Jamal”) after the birth of his first son, Jamal[2].
Career and Activism
Mumia Abu-Jamal is an American journalist, political activist, and radio journalist. He was known for his criticism of the Philadelphia police department and the administration of a former police commissioner for what he alleged was systemic racial bias and police brutality[3].
Legal Case
Abu-Jamal was arrested for the murder of Daniel Faulkner, a Philadelphia police officer, on December 9, 1981. Despite conflicting testimony from key witnesses, he was found guilty and sentenced to death. In 1994, his death sentence was commuted to life in prison[3].
Legacy
Mumia Abu-Jamal remains a prominent figure in the ongoing discussions about the U.S. criminal justice system and has garnered widespread public attention both nationally and internationally[4].
Sources
- Wikipedia - Mumia Abu-Jamal
- BlackPast - Mumia Abu-Jamal (1954- )
- Britannica - Mumia Abu-Jamal | Biography, Trial, Appeals, & Facts
- African American Registry - Mumia Abu-Jamal, Activist, and Writer born
Citations: [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumia_Abu-Jamal [2] https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/mumia-abu-jamal-1954/ [3] https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mumia-Abu-Jamal [4] https://whyy.org/articles/essay-mumia-abu-jamal-arrest-roadblocks-justice/ [5] https://aaregistry.org/story/mumia-abu-jamal-born/