Plans for the Week called for "all people and organizations concerned with justice and human rights to examine this case, to develop plans and materials, to take up this issue to their communities and constituencies". The aim was to "make this case, and the issues bound up in nit, into a household word and a political dividing line in the United States and internationally."
The 9-11 and 9-19 through 9-25 events for Mumia were the largest coordinated national actions for Mumia to date. An initial call for the Week was signed by Pam Africa, Robert Meeropol, Sam Jordan, Steve Hawkins, Barbara Kingsolver, Ossie Davis, Adrienne Rich, Frances Fox Piven, and Martin Duberman. A small, volunteer staff coordinated events nationally, with a budget of several thousand dollars. Flyers, posters, and ribbons saying "New Trial 4 Mumia" were produced. 8 issues of a weekly newsletter were sent out electronically before the week. www.j4mumia.org was designed to distribute literature and event postings. Most national organizations and local coalitions active around Mumia participated in some way in the Week.
In the run-up to the week, we received notice of activities planned in approximately 180 locations.
These included these cities: Annandale on Hudson NY; Ann Arbor, Atlanta, Baltimore, Berkeley, Bloomington CA, Boise ID; Boone NC, Boston, Boulder CO, Buffalo, Burlington VT; Canton OH, Cleveland, Columbia SC; Columbus OH; Dallas, Denver, Des Moines IA; Detroit, Green Bay, Geneva NY, Greensboro NC; Grinnell IA, Honolulu, Houston, Hudson NY, Long Beach CA, Los Angeles, Louisville, Kent OH, Kingston NY, Madison WI, Maine, Middletown CT, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York City, Santa Cruz CA; Santa Monica CA, Monterrey Bay CA, Morgantown WV; Nashville TN; New York NY, New Paltz NY; Oakland CA, Oberlin OH, Olympia WA, Paterson NJ; Pensacola FL, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland OR, Portland ME, Poughkeepsie, NY; Princeton NJ, Providence RI; Richmond VA, Rochelle Park NJ; Rochester NY; Saint Paul, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose CA; Santa Cruz, CA; Santa Rose, CA; Seattle WA; Selma AL; Sheboygan WI; Slippery Rock PA; Spokane WA; Springfield MA; Stevens Point WI, Tennessee, Uniontown PA; Virginia Beach VA: Washington DC, Waynesburg, PA; Weymouth MA.
International events: Welland, & Toronto, ONT; Montreal, QUE; Paris, and Azania (South Africa).
We received reports from 35 high schools: 5 NYC schools, Belmont MA; New Vista, Boulder CO; Bloomington CA; Castlemont CA; Glen Oak, Canton OH; Francis Parker, Chicago; John Marshall, Cleveland OH; Fayetteville GA; Weymouth MA. 20 high schools in California participated.
We were notified of events at 60 colleges: American U Law School, DC; Augsberg College MN; Bard College NY; California State Monterrey Bay; Carlton College MN; Carnegie-Mellon, Pittsburgh; Case Western Reserve U OH; Casenovia College NY; City College, NY; Cleveland State U OH; Columbia U NY; Columbia-Green Comm College, NY; Community College of Philadelphia; DePaul U, Chicago; Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland OH; Cypress College CA; Emory University GA; Evergreen State WA; George Washington U, D.C.; Georgia Perimeter GA; Georgia State U; Grinnell College IA; Haverford College PA; Hobart William Smith, NY; Hunter College NY; Kent State U, OH; Lincoln U, PA; Long Beach City College CA; Macalester College MN; Middle Tennessee State U, Morehouse College GA; Oberlin College OH; Princeton U; Santa Monica City College CA; San Diego City College; San Francisco State CA; Sarah Lawrence, NY; Skidmore College NY; Spelman College GA; Staten Island College NY; SUNY Buffalo, Temple U PA; Vassar College NY; Wayne State U MI; Wesleyan U CT; U of Maryland Baltimore Co.; UC Berkeley; UC Santa Cruz; U of District of Columbia; UCLA Law School; U of Michigan; U of PA, U of Pittsburgh; U of S. Carolina; U of Wisconsin; U Wisconsin-Stevens Point; U Wisconsin-Green Bay. Canada: U of British Columbia, McGill U.
Selected Highlights of the Mumia Awareness Week:
Several organizations did MAILINGS to their chapters and membership asking them to participate in the Week. Amnesty International/USA sent packets to their 1100+ student chapters. The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty out of Washington DC sent materials to their mailing list, and the American Friends Service Committee out of Philadelphia sent mailings to 600 religious leaders.
In the PHILADELPHIA area, events were held at seven campuses during the week, with hundreds in attendance. The week culminated with "Philadelphians for Mumia" to counter the local press slander that only those from out of town support Mumia. A mostly young crowd gathered at Broad & Spring Garden with banners hung from ladders and "honk for Mumia" signs. Reports are that the honking was "deafening".
The AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY REPRESENTED for Mumia in new, dramatic ways. The historic centers of Black political action organized. On September 25, 250 people gathered in Harlem for a rally addressed by African-American activists. Organizers won a permit to take a lane of Broadway all the way down to Columbus Circle, where they joined 500 more people for a march to Times Square. In Oakland, California, car caravans brought news of Mumia directly to the community.
The AFRICAN AMERICAN PRESS COVERED the week as never before. The Philadelphia Tribune; The Amsterdam News and The Daily Challenge (both from NYC); the San Francisco Bay View; the Chicago Defender; and the Los Angeles Sentinel printed coverage of the week s events, opinion pieces, and columns. Their combined readership of hundreds of thousands (?) saw Mumia, and the related issues of imprisonment, the death penalty, and police brutality, covered from the unique perspective of the historically Black press.
MAINSTREAM PRESS came out to, and covered, two press conferences in California. On September 20, at the Los Angeles office of the ACLU, radio personality Casey Kasem, two local union leaders, and representatives of the ACLU, Death Penalty Focus, the National Peoples Campaign and Refuse & Resist! spoke to the demand for a new trial to TV, radio, and print media. The next day the Oakland Education Association sponsored a press conference attended by students and teachers who explained the "teach-ins" on Mumia s case happening in schools statewide.
A militant expression of support for Mumia (since copied in other cities) was inaugurated in Los Angeles on September 25, where 425 people held a TORCHLIGHT MARCH in Westwood. Lots of youth, and people from different nationalities turned heads were led by the Watts Committee Against Police Brutality Drum Corps. Progressive white "west siders" joined with teachers, anarchists, and the hip hop generation. Leonard Weinglass addressed the rally.
An INTERFAITH PRAYER BREAKFAST in Chicago was attended by 20 religious leaders. Standish Willis was the keynote speaker. Plans for spreading activity in faith communities were made.
INTERNATIONAL YOUGH AND STUDENT DAY on September 21 was marked by events reported from almost 100 schools. Awareness activities were reported from 35 high schools, ranging from flyering, to a packed student assembly at Belmont High School near Boston, to organized teacher-sponsored activities at 20 high schools in California. 60 college campuses reported holding events ranging from video showings to rallies.
INTERNATIONAL EVENTS included a rally of 2500 at the U.S. Embassy in Paris. A rally and march of more than 300 people in Montreal targeted Planet Hollywood and brought out the riot police. They chanted in French and English and included Filipino immigrants. In South Africa, youth organizations with the Azanian Peoples Organization endorsed the "Save Mumia Abu Jamal campaign" and 437 delegates signed a petition in support of Comrade Mumia.
Labor mobilized to bring AWARENESS TO UNION MEMBERS. The ILWU (Longshoremen) held a meeting in San Francisco at the union hall. Local 1199 in New York City held a luncheon video showing. Morgan for Mumia, a group of mailhandlers at the Morgan USPS facility in NYC, held a day-long awareness event in spite of management opposition, distributing 300 Mumia ribbons and thousands of flyers.
Reports From September 11th ("Mumia 911")
We are working on a much more complete report on all the amazing events which took place for Mumia 911. So sorry for the delay, the material is voluminous, and we hope to put up pictures, interviews and reports from the Day on this site very soon.
Thanks so much to the many people who have sent in wonderful reports and pictures. We know there are others of you who have news to tell us about your Mumia 911 event or experience, or pictures! Please send them in to
Mumia 911, 28 Vesey St. #2157
New York City, NY 10007
or send them by email to mumia911@mumia911.org.
Meanwhile, here are a few highlights of the Day of Art:
In San Francisco, Spearhead, The Coup, and Digital Underground played a free concert in Dolores Park, attended by over 5,000 people.
In LA, a reading for Mumia featured Edward Asner, Susan Anspach, Robert Guillaume, Shelly Berman, Paula Poundstone, Esai Morales, and other actors. That same night in LA, the Artspeaks! festival attracted nearly 2000 people to see art and performances by Ozomatli, Medusa, Oscar Brown Jr. and many, many more.
Everlast, the Roots, Black Eyed Peas, The Wailers, and Jackson Browne all dedicated their sets to Mumia 911.
In New York City, there were 3 great hip hop events featuring such artists as Heltah Skeltah, Mos Def and Talib Kweli, a concert by Gil Scott-Heron and Carl Hancock-Rux at Knitting Factory, a salsa night at SOB's, a hard core show at ABC No Rio, plus several other great club shows dedicated to the Day. . Some of the country's best-loved poets including Martin Espada, Sarah Jones and Jessica Care Moore played to full houses at the Nuyorican Poets' Cafe, Brecht Forum, Cafe Largo, 13 Bar, Tribes, and other NYC venues.
15 New York City art galleries participated with art shows dedicated to stopping the execution, featuring artists such as Leon Golub, Carrie Mae Weems, Fred Wilson, Dread Scott, David Thorne, Robbie Conal, Arnold Mesches, Renee Cox and Laurie Anderson.
A Mumia 911 event in Tasmania was attended by 250 people, and there were 911 events in Germany, Barcelona and Canada.
Danny Glover, Danny Hoch, Martin Espada, and Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls spoke on Pacifica radio to promote Mumia 911. Fab 5 Freddy created a radio PSA which aired across the country.
MTV, ABC Radio, the Village Voice, New York Magazine, Time Out, LA Times, the Nation and other publications, plus some TV and radio stations reported on the Day, bringing national exposure to Mumia's case.
A few examples of events around the country: 300 people came to a hip hop show in Atlanta; 150 to one in Washington DC; there were theater/performance events in several venues in Minneapolis; the Hothouse in Chicago hosted a spoken word/music event for 150 people; 300 came to an outdoor solar-powered concert in Portland, Maine; in Seattle and Albuquerque New Mexico there were all day festivals; The African Grove Institute for the Arts hosted a reading of revolutionary plays from the 60s... .
In all, over 100 arts events brought the story of Mumia to nearly 40,000 people through the creation of some amazing art.
[posted 10/26/99]
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