FTP-Chicago

Happy birthday to legendary Black Marxist author, revolutionary, and Black Panther George Jackson, who was born on this day in 1941! When serving a prison sentence in 1966, he became involved in revolutionary politics. He co-founded the prison organization known as the Black Guerrilla Family with W.L. Nolen, who introduced him to Marxism and Maoism. As Jackson said, “I met Marx, Lenin, Trotsky, Engels, and Mao when I entered prison, and they redeemed me.” He also described himself as a “Marxist-Leninist-Maoist-Fanonist.” Jackson increasingly spent more time in solitary confinement, studying political theory and writing letters to friends and supporters. These letters were eventually turned into two bestselling books, Soledad Brother, and Blood in My Eye, which made him famous amongst US and European leftist groups. Jackson also gained numerous admirers among fellow inmates from Black, white, and Latino backgrounds. On 21 August 1971, Jackson was shot dead from a prison tower after he had been involved in a hostage-taking. Three days before his death, he rewrote his will, leaving all his royalties and control of his legal defense fund to the Black Panther Party. Read on to explore some of Jackson’s most powerful and evocative quotes.