Saturday, December 18, 2010

Georgia Prison Strike Comes to an End Among Unfinished Business

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse UniversityScholarship in Action 

The heroic prison strike that took place in Georgia this month has finally come to an end. Other than the inmates who are still holding out, most of the others have been released from the massive lock down and agreed to go back to work. Progress was made during the strike, and negotiations are still underway.

I was scheduled to meet with Elaine Brown, one of the leaders of the movement last night. For some reason, we weren't able to find her. But I'm sure that whatever she was doing was more important than talking to me. Tomorrow morning I'll be speaking with Rev. Jesse Jackson on the matter, and then Monday, I speak with Rev. Al Sharpton. In fact, I'll be speaking to everyone I know about this issue for as long as I possibly can.

Click to read.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

First of all, thanks Dr. Boyce for all you do! This is a great article! I will share it with others! I agree with you 100%! Why haven't we heard about this in the mainstream news? I wonder why the CBC hasn't gotten involved in this and lots of other issues. You are right that all prisoners aren't dumb and worthless human beings. They should be rehabilitated while in prison so when they get out they can contribute to our society. The prisons in this country are nothing but slave camps for blacks. I believe that is where the white man wants out brothers to be. We get longer sentences than whites that commit the same crimes. Our politicians,our communities, public figures and our churches need to get involved. My brother is a college graduate and has other degrees and had his own business. He got strung out on crack and broke his probation by not being in by midnight. He was sent to prison for 6mos. Now he can't get a job or keep a job. He has never been violent in his entire life. He feels helpless. He lives with my mother....a retired teacher. Financially, he can't afford to pay his child support. My mother helps him. It is so wrong he is being punished like this because of his drug habit. He is no longer on drugs and wants to turn his life around. He feels he has nothing to live for since he can't get a job or get his business back that he used to have. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I agree the rappers should get involved and everyone in our communities. I will be listening to you tomorrow on Rev. Jackson's show and on Monday with Rev. Al. I wish you had a show on XM169 The Power. Keep up the good work! Thanks for all you do! I want and need to get involved, too. Merry Christmas! God bless!