“It is extremely essential to support our political prisoners and prisoners of war. How else do we show our appreciation for their selfless labors and sacrifice on behalf of us all?
To not do so is not only an expression of gross indifference but also sends a very discouraging message to all present-day freedom fighters and justice seekers who stick their neck out for the greater good, that they take risks only to be abandoned by the people they represent.” – Kwasi Akwamu, Detroit Jericho & Malcolm X Grassroots Movement
The revolutionary, grassroots National Jericho Movement works for recognition that Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War exist inside the United States. Jericho organizes for amnesty, medical care, legal representation, and freedom for all Political Prisoners, our freedom fighters. The Jericho Movement originated with the official Jericho Movement March on the White House in 1998, co-sponsored by the Provisional Government of the Republic of New Afrika (PGRNA) and the New Afrikan Liberation Front (NALF). Jalil Muntaqim, a veteran Black Liberation Army Political Prisoner/POW for 27 years (out after 49 years in 2020!), proposed the march, borrowing from the PGRNA, which led marches to free Political Prisoners in front of the White House from the mid 1980s through 1993. Jalil organized, from prison, with former Political Prisoners Safiya Bukhari and Herman Ferguson to launch the Jericho Movement. Committees were then formed for Political Prisoners – to build their freedom and amnesty campaigns, educate communities across the country on their existence, provide legal defense funding, and fight for sufficient and quality medical care in prison.
“The United States has historically and systematically denied the existence of political prisoners. To admit that reality would be to acknowledge adverse political, economic, and social conditions that would warrant political resistance in various forms – from building a sense of self-determination in the community via community programs, mobilization, and education – to taking para-military actions against state-sponsored violence. From a slave’s resistance to slavery to all the movements fighting for freedom till today, there have always been political prisoners – women and men fighting against injustice and oppression.
Thus, the need for an organization such as Jericho.” – Jihad Abdulmumit, Chair, National Jericho Movement
The Jericho Movement supports Political Prisoners, as defined below, who are held captive within the United States.
A Political Prisoner is someone who is imprisoned for their involvement in domestic liberation struggles, their actions as members of social and progressive organizations, or their political beliefs which go against the dominant and oppressive norms of US society and government – those being capitalism, colonialism, and white supremacy.
A Prisoner of War is a type of Political Prisoner who took up arms against the US government for national liberation, against US imperialism, or against white supremacy.
A Politicized Prisoner is someone whose consciousness was raised while in prison and then became a threat to the state for their political beliefs and organizing inside the prison.
Jericho has chapters in New York, Detroit, Portland, Oakland, Boston, and Atlanta, and solid relationships with various local, like-minded community organizations.
In March 2023, the Detroit Shakur Squad became the Detroit Jericho Movement Chapter. The Detroit Shakur Squad formed in summer 2022 when national calls from the #FreeMutuluNow Campaign (for Dr. Mutulu Shakur) and #LoveNotPhear Campaign (for Mumia Abu-Jamal) brought together Malcolm X Grassroots Movement-Detroit, Moratorium Now! Coalition, and other community members in the call to FREE OUR ELDERS. Freeing our elders means we must struggle and work to pull them out of a prison system that seeks to kill our incarcerated elders with forever sentences, known as Death By Incarceration, and with blatant medical neglect and abuse.
Detroit Jericho has held events, actions, teach-ins, read-a-thons, film screenings, fundraisers, and meetings, many focused on the release of Dr. Mutulu Shakur, who was freed Dec 16, 2022, after 37 years and joined the ancestors 6 months later, and for Mumia Abu-Jamal who, after 42 years, is still in prison. Detroit Jericho members campaign for the rights and freedom of several Political Prisoners and do general advocacy for all. There are current and urgent calls to action for Mumia Abu-Jamal, Leonard Peltier (imprisoned over 47 years), and Kevin “Rashid” Johnson (imprisoned over 30 years). All three men have forever sentences and severe medical issues, and are being denied proper medical care.
The Jericho Movement is also in deep and long-term solidarity with the struggle for a Free Palestine and with Palestinian Political Prisoners. In Palestine, political prisoners are revered as “the compass of our struggle.” There is much to learn from the respect and appreciation that Palestinians have for their prisoners and freedom fighters. Detroit Jericho is unwavering in its support for a ceasefire and full Palestinian liberation.
Every other Sunday, Detroit Jericho hosts open events at 27th Letter Books (during the colder months) or at Clark Park (during the summer), called Freedom Words. The event provides space to share information about Political Prisoners and organize for their release, learn about the interconnectedness of struggle, eat and talk with each other, read writings from and about Political Prisoners out loud and quietly, and write letters. Reading the words of Political Prisoners and corresponding with them are acts of liberation. We must not forget our imprisoned freedom fighters and truth-tellers.
Detroit Jericho invites you to join their efforts to free all US-held Political Prisoners & Prisoners of War! If you want to receive updates and calls to action, email detroitjericho98@gmail.com and join the mailing list. Detroit Jericho actively seeks spaces to interact with the community, and welcomes invitations to table at events and host film screenings, political discussions, or teach-ins at schools, cafes, and community spaces. Reach out via email or Instagram to request their presence at your event or space!
What’s the call? Free ‘em all!
Please FOLLOW and LIKE Detroit Jericho
Facebook: Detroit Jericho
Twitter: @DetroitJericho
Instagram: @detroitjericho
YouTube: @detroitjericho
Email: detroitjericho98@gmail.com
Website: www.thejerichomovement.org
