I am honored to be a student of Mutulu Shakur. He made me the man I am today, and that goes for other brothers and sisters that had no real appreciation of self-value. I met him in 1999, in a federal institution that was a breeding ground for racism and hatred. Atlanta Federal prison was a blood bath. From the moment Mutulu stepped foot in the prison, he helped initiate curriculum to release tensions that affected both blacks and whites. This had never been done before.

There was a class called Culture and Diversity. It was basically a think tank for all races and it dealt with world issues and life issues that made us think on a critical level. At the time, I was serving a 21-year sentence for attempted homicide and other charges. Mutulu saw something in me and he asked me to write projects; one of them was a book about my life. I wrote a book titled “Life,” and the book went on to sell millions of copies. Today I am CEO of Leo Sullivan Presents, one of the biggest Urban Publishers in America.

There was a time that prison officials would do malicious things to Mutulu, there was even an attempt to kill him twice and his response was always with humility and grace. I would not be the man I am today if it wasn’t for Dr. Mutulu Shakur. People need to know the real history of the struggle during the era he was a part of and not just the one-sided story that makes him out to be like a criminal. Two wrongs don’t make a right but a man can be a product of his environment, meaning anytime you respond to naked aggression it’s looked at as a crime. We need to come today and fight to get this educator and freedom fighter and our beloved brother out of prison. There is a petition to Barack Obama that everyone needs to sign please visit mutulushakur.com for more information.

FREE the land!

Osiris