#letters-from-prison

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fromwww.bbc.com
18 hours ago

More than 200 arrests at Palestine Action protest

"Those attending should be aware that showing support for a proscribed organisation is an offence under the Terrorism Act, and we will not hesitate to act where the law is broken," said commander Claire Smart.
London politics
Law
fromHarvard Gazette
1 day ago

When is it time to dissent? - Harvard Gazette

Dissent is essential in law and faith, offering lessons on navigating disagreement productively.
#civil-rights
New York City
fromwww.amny.com
4 days ago

15 arrested in anti-ICE Passover protest takeover of Palantir's Manhattan lobby | amNewYork

Fifteen protesters were arrested after occupying Palantir's lobby during a Passover seder to condemn ICE operations.
Washington DC
fromSlate Magazine
1 week ago

They Had to Clean Solitary Cells. What They Saw Forced Them to Quit.

Solitary confinement work is demoralizing and involves invasive strip searches, contributing to severe mental health issues among incarcerated individuals.
NYC politics
fromTruthout
1 week ago

Activist Nerdeen Kiswani Speaks Out After Being Targeted in Assassination Plot

An assassination attempt against Palestinian activist Nerdeen Kiswani was foiled, highlighting the threats faced by pro-Palestine voices.
LGBT
fromLGBTQ Nation
3 weeks ago

South Africa was on the cutting edge of LGBTQ+ equality. Why hasn't it banned conversion therapy? - LGBTQ Nation

Conversion therapy has damaging effects on transgender individuals, and Africa's historical acceptance of queer identities contrasts sharply with current intolerance.
fromianVisits
1 month ago

Official announcement: It's time to end the tyranny of officially

Once upon a time, adding official to an announcement served a purpose. It distinguished fact from rumour, press release from pub chat. Sensible. Helpful. Civilised. But in recent years, the word has gone rogue. Nothing can simply happen anymore. It must be officially announced.
Media industry
US Elections
fromThe Nation
1 month ago

61 Years After Bloody Sunday, We Are Entering a New Era of Voter Suppression

2026 faces voting rights threats through postal service changes and the SAVE America Act, which would require citizenship documents to register, potentially disenfranchising millions of Americans.
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Prison sentences for pair who attacked gay men hailed as sign of hope for Kenya's LGBTQ+ community

A lot is going against [the queer community] with the existence of the criminal laws and prevailing homophobic attitudes, but some of us still trust that we can find justice, so this case encourages us. Kenya is one of 31 countries in Africa that still criminalises homosexuality. Gay sex is punishable by up to 14 years in prison and many members of the queer community are shunned by society.
LGBT
Social justice
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

History longs to heal': how Africa hopes to advance campaign for reparative justice

The African Union declared 2025 the year of reparations and extended it through 2036, advancing a continental push for justice and redress for colonialism, slavery, and their lasting impacts.
Philosophy
Tyranny corrupts all psychic faculties into servants of lawless appetite, with reason producing ideology to rationalize control rather than ceasing to function.
#civil-rights-movement
Social justice
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Bernard LaFayette, civil rights leader who helped launch Voting Rights Act, dies aged 85

Bernard LaFayette, a civil rights pioneer who organized voter registration efforts in Selma before the 1965 Voting Rights Act, died at 85 from a heart attack.
Social justice
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Bernard LaFayette, civil rights leader who helped launch Voting Rights Act, dies aged 85

Bernard LaFayette, a civil rights pioneer who organized voter registration efforts in Selma before the 1965 Voting Rights Act, died at 85 from a heart attack.
US news
fromThe New Yorker
1 month ago

A Criminal-Justice Activist's Baffling Crime

Prison-reform activist Alexander Friedmann was arrested for secretly smuggling weapons and tools into Nashville's new jail during construction, despite his prominent reputation in criminal-justice reform circles.
fromThe New Yorker
1 month ago

The Man Who Broke Into Jail

Lieutenant Thomas Conrad was standing in a control room in Nashville's new central jail when he noticed something off with one of the key rings hanging on the wall. It was midday on December 30, 2019, and in two weeks the still empty jail would take in about seven hundred inmates. While contractors were finishing their work, Conrad, a senior correctional officer with the Davidson County Sheriff's Office, was organizing equipment: handheld radios, handcuffs, and keys.
US news
fromenglish.elpais.com
1 month ago

Trump appoints Leo Brent Bozell III, a defender of apartheid in the 1980s, as ambassador to South Africa

In the 1980s he was known for his defense of apartheid and his criticism of the African National Congress (ANC), the ruling party in Pretoria, which he accused of terrorism. In 2013, five days after the death of Nelson Mandela, the great South African anti-apartheid leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, he said that the media idealized his figure.
US politics
UK news
fromwww.independent.co.uk
1 month ago

IPP prisoners trapped under dystopian' UK jail system, major report to UN warns

IPP prisoners serve excessive sentences averaging 516% of their minimum terms, constituting cruel and degrading treatment that violates human rights, requiring immediate abolition or case review.
#civil-rights-leader
Social justice
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

He had a radiating aura': Chicagoans say goodbye to hometown civil rights hero Jesse Jackson

Hundreds of people lined up in Chicago to pay final respects to civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, who died at age 84, before his funeral in South Carolina.
Social justice
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

He had a radiating aura': Chicagoans say goodbye to hometown civil rights hero Jesse Jackson

Hundreds of people lined up in Chicago to pay final respects to civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, who died at age 84, before his funeral in South Carolina.
#martin-luther-king-jr-day
#martin-luther-king-jr
fromThe American Conservative
2 months ago

Relive The Civil Rights Era. Send in The Troops

In any liberal morality play, Democrats always get to be the shivering, oppressed black people, while Republicans have to play the part of Bull Connor, Birmingham, AL's racist commissioner of public safety. Except the facts are exactly the opposite. I'm sure you're bored of hearing this, but Connor was a Democrat, as were all the politicians promising "massive resistance" to racial integration. Republicans were the ones forcing Democrats to abide by federal law, along with a few John Fetterman- style Democrats.
Right-wing politics
fromwww.npr.org
2 months ago

Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream ... about health care

They offered a rare window into the lives, struggles and aspirations of African Americans, and a way for me to feel connected to a community far beyond my immediate environment. Through Ebony, I was introduced to towering figures such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Their courage, moral clarity and commitment to justice shaped how I thought leadership and service.
Public health
fromwww.bbc.com
2 months ago

Lammy blocks Jimmy Mizen killer's open prison move

Metropolitan Police/PA Wire Justice Secretary David Lammy has intervened to block the transfer of a killer to an open prison after it emerged he had released drill music with lyrics referencing the murder, under a pseudonym. Jake Fahri was sentenced to life in 2009 for killing 16-year-old Jimmy Mizen by throwing an oven dish at him that shattered and severed the arteries in his neck.
UK politics
Mental health
fromSilicon Canals
2 months ago

Quote of the day by Nelson Mandela: "It always seems impossible until it is done" - Silicon Canals

Perceived impossibility often reflects mental magnification and fear; reframing challenges as uncomfortable permits small initial steps that enable major life change.
New York Islanders
fromThe Marshall Project
1 month ago

Hopes Rise for Troubled Rikers Jail Closure, but Mamdani Faces Hurdles

Mayor Zohran Mamdani must deliver closure of Rikers by a legal deadline amid delays, activist pressure, oversight requirements, and construction of replacement jails.
#jesse-jackson
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago
Social justice

A historic force to be reckoned with, a giant to be mourned. Our panel pays tribute to the Rev Jesse Jackson | Hugh Muir, Diane Abbott, Nadine White

fromFortune
1 month ago
Social justice

Jesse Jackson turned down a pro baseball contract that paid 6x less than a white player. Here's how segregation shaped him | Fortune

fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago
Social justice

A historic force to be reckoned with, a giant to be mourned. Our panel pays tribute to the Rev Jesse Jackson | Hugh Muir, Diane Abbott, Nadine White

fromFortune
1 month ago
Social justice

Jesse Jackson turned down a pro baseball contract that paid 6x less than a white player. Here's how segregation shaped him | Fortune

fromwww.aljazeera.com
1 month ago

Twelve Palestine Action activists granted bail

Twelve activists linked to the Palestine Action group who were charged with breaking into the British site of an Israel-linked defence firm have been released on bail. There were tears of joy at London's Central Criminal Court, better known as the Old Bailey, as the 12 prisoners, including hunger strikers Teuta Hoxha, Kamran Ahmed, Qesser Zuhrah and Heba Muraisi, were released on Friday.
UK news
fromThe Conversation
2 months ago

Building 'beloved community': Remembering the friendship between Martin Luther King Jr. and Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh

My new book, " On Mindful Democracy: A Declaration of Interdependence to Mend a Fractured World," is inspired by King and Hanh's friendship. These two men bonded over the shared insight that how we show up for each other matters, as does how we advocate for social change. In his sermon " Loving Your Enemies" King announced, "Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." Hanh taught: There is no way to peace, peace is the way.
Philosophy
New York City
fromwww.amny.com
2 months ago

Mamdani appoints formerly incarcerated and jail reform advocate Stanley Richards to head Department of Correction

Stanley Richards, a formerly incarcerated person, was appointed New York City Commissioner of Correction, becoming the first formerly incarcerated person to lead the DOC.
Arts
fromHyperallergic
2 months ago

Et Tu, South Africa?

South Africa's culture minister canceled Gabrielle Goliath's Venice Biennale performance about Gaza, prompting accusations of censorship and erasure of Palestinian suffering.
UK politics
fromwww.bbc.com
2 months ago

Arrests after protesters breach London prison grounds

Protesters breached Wormwood Scrubs grounds supporting a hunger-striking detainee, prompting arrests for aggravated trespass amid allegations of threats and obstruction of staff.
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Marwan Barghouti, Palestine's Mandela', to publish book from prison

A collection of writings by the imprisoned Palestinian political leader Marwan Barghouti will be published in November, bringing together prison letters, interviews, personal material and documents from the last three decades of Barghouti's political life and incarceration. As deadly attacks on Gaza continue despite a nominal ceasefire, the 66-year-old is seen by many as the best hope for a leader of any future Palestinian state.
World news
UK news
fromwww.aljazeera.com
2 months ago

Writers declare solidarity with prisoners on hunger strike for Palestine

Three UK Palestine Action activists are on prolonged hunger strikes demanding bail, fair trials, reversal of terrorist designation, and an end to prison censorship.
History
fromwww.mercurynews.com
2 months ago

Today in History: January 30, Catholic civil rights marchers killed on Bloody Sunday'

January 30 features multiple major historical events—including Bloody Sunday, King Charles I's execution, Gandhi's assassination, the Tet Offensive, and several notable births.
New York City
fromwww.mediaite.com
2 months ago

Mamdani Calls for Palestinian Activist Mahmoud Khalil to Remain Free After Court Reversal

Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged that Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil remain free after an appeals court reversed his release amid detention and deportation threats.
Social justice
fromwww.dw.com
2 months ago

How nonviolent protest can break autocratic rule

Nonviolent, creative community tactics, including singing, noise, patrols and boycotts, are being used in Minneapolis and globally to resist ICE actions and drive political change.
World news
fromenglish.elpais.com
2 months ago

Cubans also want an amnesty for their political prisoners

Wilber Aguilar petitioned Cuba's National Assembly for amnesty to free his son Walniel, sentenced to 12 years for participating in the July 11, 2021 protests.
History
fromSmithsonian Magazine
2 months ago

Samuel Green Freed Himself and Others From Slavery. Then He Was Imprisoned Over Owning a Book

Samuel Green, a free Black Marylander aiding runaways, was arrested for possessing Uncle Tom's Cabin under a law banning 'abolition pamphlets,' becoming an abolition hero.
World news
fromwww.aljazeera.com
2 months ago

Venezuela frees 104 political prisoners, rights group says

Venezuelan authorities released at least 104 people listed as political prisoners, including lawyer Kennedy Tejeda and student Juan Francisco Alvarado.
Social justice
fromTruthout
1 month ago

Living Under a Concentration Camp Regime - and Fighting Back

Mass detention systems expand through legal 'end runs' and normalization; rapid U.S. detention infrastructure growth signals a dangerous escalation requiring organized resistance.
fromFast Company
2 months ago

How Martin Luther King Jr. was a trailblazer in pushing for universal basic income

King's intuition was that white people with lower incomes would support this type of policy because they could also benefit from it. In 1967, King argued, "It seems to me that the Civil Rights Movement must now begin to organize for the guaranteed annual income . . . which I believe will go a long, long way toward dealing with the Negro's economic problem and the economic problem with many other poor people confronting our nation."
US politics
fromSan Jose Spotlight
1 month ago

Cantrell: Is California's 'justice' system just slavery by another name? - San Jose Spotlight

The next "Dying to Stay Here" podcast will feature a panel discussing what we call our criminal justice system. The panel reflected on a recent election in California, where voters were asked, in plain language, whether they wanted to remove slavery from our constitution, where it's still allowed "as punishment for a crime," and voted to keep it. As we celebrate another Black History Month, I reflect on the disproportionate number of Black people behind bars.
Social justice
fromwww.independent.co.uk
1 month ago

Charles Bronson releases letter from prison ahead of parole hearing

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground.
US politics
Social justice
fromBusiness Insider
2 months ago

Martin Luther King Jr. was talking about a universal basic income before it was cool

Martin Luther King Jr. advocated a guaranteed basic income in 1967 to create economic security, an idea now echoed by tech leaders.
#mlk-day
fromwww.amny.com
2 months ago
Social justice

MLK Day: Hundreds march across Brooklyn Bridge demanding end to ICE and rise of tyranny in America amNewYork

fromwww.amny.com
2 months ago
Social justice

MLK Day: Hundreds march across Brooklyn Bridge demanding end to ICE and rise of tyranny in America amNewYork

US politics
fromTruthout
2 months ago

We Can Honor Renee Nicole Good's Life by Abolishing Death-Making Institutions

ICE agents have killed civilians, including Renee Nicole Good, revealing systemic violence and prompting grief-driven abolitionist organizing, solidarity, and labor activism.
#ice
US politics
fromTruthout
1 month ago

Grand Jury Declines to Indict Dems Who Who Urged Troops to Reject Illegal Orders

A federal grand jury declined to indict six Democratic lawmakers after the Trump DOJ sought charges over a video urging troops to refuse illegal orders.
fromThe Atlantic
2 months ago

American Dissidence

The word that comes to my mind is dissidence. If we want to understand why the whistleblowing, camera-wielding people of Minneapolis have caused the Trump administration-and Donald Trump himself-to flinch, I believe we need some added history, and a bigger map. What we've been watching is part of a long, established tradition-one that might help Americans unlock a different kind of future.
US politics
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