My dear Brothers, Sisters and Allies,

I want to emphatically thank all of you for your support. I could never find the words to convey my love to you, my people. Predictably as most of you have heard, the parole board turned me down. Knowing the nature of our enemy I was not overly surprised by the tactics used at the hearing. However, I do regret the emotional pain caused to my family and loved ones. For their sincerest desire to see me liberated placed them in a vulnerable position. They had hopes that I would be given at least some semblance of an impartial hearing. It was arbitrarily determined that I should spend another 15 years of my Life in prison before I am eligible for parole.

It has been a long-standing fact that the judicial system in America and its bureaucratic hierarchy can never provide equity or work in the interests of a political solution. For the name Political Prisoner itself signifies anti-government. Nowhere in the turbulent annals of American history has a Black Political Prisoner ever been given a pardon or any form of just political reprieve. And for a political prisoner to be subjugated to a judicial arena that rejects International Law is in itself a travesty, a miscarriage of justice, and is redolent of the era of “COINTELPRO.”

When I became a part of this movement I realized the great risk, that by standing by principles my Life and Freedom would be at stake. So many remain in prison- Ruchel McGee, Hugo Pinell, Sundiata Acoli, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Sekou Odinga. And so many have died. And yet I still hold my head high because out of the chaos of brutal oppression a struggle was born, and it gave birth to one of the most beautiful movements that history has ever known. And I am a part of that struggle. And even from the confines of my limited quarters the struggle goes on.

In Honor of All our Ancestors, Martyrs, and Freedom Fighters…

Stiff Resistance,
Dr. Mutulu Shakur