Interview With Albert Woodfox (6:06) by Mumia Abu-Jamal

Prison Radio Audio Feed

Mumia: You brothers of the Angola Three did an ungodly bit in the hole. How did the state justify locking you cats, I mean, up for so long? Albert: Well, given the unchecked and unchallenged power of the prisons, uh, system in Louisiana, uh, they basically, they justification was the fact that, um, myself, Harmon, and Robert were fighting for, uh, humanity, the fact that we were fighting for- to maintain our dignity, pride, self-respect, and our self-worth, uh, they felt was a threat to what they considered the only function of the prison. So that was, that was the justification, your infamous Burl Cain even made a statement once in a deposition that, uh, I was the most dangerous man in America, and since I've been out, uh, I would like to think that, uh, my activities have proven him to be right. Mumia: How did y’all endure 40 years in the hole? Albert: Ha! That's the most difficult question to ask. I guess having a political consciousness and, uh, you know, that was inspired by, by being members of the Black Panther Party. You know, they say knowledge is power, so we had a, we had a sense of, uh, what solitary confinement, uh, uh, was designed for. And so over the decades, you know, it was just, uh, strength, determination values, principle, and uh, we stayed active, you know, we, we didn't, we, and we looked to the society for inspiration, uh, the men and women, uh, and in some cases, uh, children, uh, fighting in society, uh, the people fighting for changes and conditions and stuff. Rather than turn in and allow prison culture to, uh, set examples about how we should live our lives. Mumia: What gave y'all hope? Albert: Uh, you know, I, I had wonderful family, wonderful comrades who made up international coalition of Free Angola Three, a wonderful legal team. Uh, but more than anything, what gave me hope was the guys I lived around, uh, people in society, the social struggle that was being waged, the sacrifices that were being made, uh, the indomitable spirit that refused to be broken. Um, you know, those were some of the things that, uh, inspired me, you know, uh, one thing in particular was the development, uh, of Black Lives Matter movement, you know, which I think is a tremendous movement. Uh, uh, and it was so proud to, uh, see all the young men and women involved in that movement, uh, come forward. As a matter of fact, before the pandemic, when Robert and I were all traveling together and speaking, we always asked the host to arrange, if possible, so that we could meet with some of the young leaders in the move. So those are the things that gave me hope, it’s, you know, a lot of love of humanity, an indomitable the spirit of the people and the continuous struggle, uh, that was gone on as society. Albert: Mumia my brother, given the preponderance of evidence exonerating you and the lack of evidence against you, how does it feel to still be in prison? Mumia: Brother Albert, and in the spirit of all the Angola Three, I salute you. You know, I think of early days, even before trial began, it was a pretrial hearing. I'd read a law book, showing cases from the Supreme Court, the U.S. Supreme court. So it was based on the Constitution, right? Well, I went to the law library, read those actual cases and then drew up motions. I made a motion in court. The court promptly denied this motion. I couldn't believe it, but it made me understand that the court, the court, that most people meet when they first go into court, wasn't bound by a Constitution or Supreme Court rulings. They do whatever they want to do, because it really ain't about the law. It's about power. That same judge, Judge Sabo, would later say, and I’m saying an open court 15 years later, in my case, justice is just an emotional feeling. To quote Malcolm X: “Don't be shocked when I say I was in prison. Long as you south of the Canadian border, you still in prison, so all power to people.” Albert: My brother, what did your most painful personal loss? Mumia: My mother and daughter, Edith and Samia. I had dreams of walking with both of them in freedom. And of course, other family members, brothers, sisters, cousins, brothers-in-law, [inaudible name], Lydia, Jimmy. They live in our memory and in our hearts. Albert: Again my brother, what is your number one priority when freedom finally comes? Mumia: The same as it's always been: to serve the people to work on their behalf, to work for a world where true black liberation is a reality, not just words. As the rastas say: freedom is a must. Thank you brother Woodfox.