I am Maroon: a life of radicalism, incarceration, and the Black Power Movement / The True Story of an American Political Prisoner Russell Shoatz, with Kanya D'Almeida.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Shoatz, Russell Maroon, 1943-2021, author.

D'Almeida, Kanya, 1986- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

African American political activists--Pennsylvania--Biography.

African American political activists.

Prisoners--Pennsylvania--Biography.

Prisoners.

Black Liberation Army--Biography.

Black Liberation Army.

Black power--United States--History--20th century.

Black power.

Black nationalism--United States--History--20th century.

Black nationalism.

Black Panther Party--Biography.

Black Panther Party.

Authors, American--20th century--Biography.

Authors, American.

Physical Description:

pages cm

Edition:

First. edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Bold Type Books, 2024.

Summary:

"Russell Shoatz was a gang member from age 11, battling for territory and dignity amid the white flight of 1950s Philadelphia. But at 23, after hearing Malcolm X speak on a street corner in Harlem, his life changed course. Shoatz would become a lifelong crusader for justice, a soldier in the most militant units of the Black Liberation Army, a Black Panther fighting the notorious Frank Rizzo and his Blue Guards. The fight turned increasingly violent, and as one of the "Philly Five," Shoatz was convicted tolife in prison after a coordinated attack on a police station, which left one officer dead. The prison walls, however, could not deter Shoatz's battle for personal and collective freedom. He escaped maximum security facilities twice, making him a livinglegend, endowed with the moniker "Maroon," once used to honor runaways from plantations. He survived 22 years in solitary confinement, prompting an international campaign for his freedom. In October 2021, after 49 years in prison, Maroon was released intohospice care, reuniting briefly with his children before he passed away. But for nine years before his death, he worked with Sri Lankan writer Kanya D'Almeida, who he recognized as a comrade, to record his life's work in print. I Am Maroon charts a lifeof dizzying intrigue, set during the height of the struggle for Black liberation. With an unforgettable voice and a personality that comes off the page, Maroon reminds us that we too are capable of radical change, and leaves us a blueprint for how we might dedicate our lives and minds to the ongoing fight for freedom"-- Provided by publisher.

Notes:

LA CANDIDATE

Includes index.

ISBN:

9781645030492 : HRD

1645030490 : HRD