George Jackson (activist)

George Jackson
George Jackson
Born	George Lester Jackson; September 23, 1941; Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	August 21, 1971 (aged 29); San Quentin, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Gunshot wounds
Resting place	Bethel Cemetery, Mount Vernon, Illinois
Known for	Prison activist and co-founder of the Black Guerrilla Family
Notable work	Soledad Brother: The Prison Letters of George Jackson; Blood in My Eye
Parent(s)	Lester and Georgia Bea Jackson
Relatives	Jonathan P. Jackson (brother)

George Lester Jackson (September 23, 1941 – August 21, 1971) was an American author, prisoner, and revolutionary. While serving an indeterminate sentence for stealing $71 at gunpoint from a gas station in 1960, Jackson became involved in the Black power movement and co-founded an ultra-leftist prison gang, the Black Guerrilla Family.^[3]

In 1970, he was one of three prisoners dubbed the Soledad Brothers. They were charged with the murder at Soledad Prison of corrections officer John V. Mills, allegedly in retaliation for the shooting deaths of three black inmates by a white prison guard several days prior. Also in 1970, Jackson published Soledad Brother, a collection of his letters that comprised a combination autobiography and manifesto addressed primarily to an African-American audience, but which was embraced by radicals around the world. The book was a bestseller and earned Jackson international fame.^[4]

In August 1971, Jackson was killed by prison guards during an escape attempt at San Quentin State Prison, in which three guards and two inmates were killed. Jackson never went to trial for the Mills murder.

^ Ouagadougou, Mbutu A. (May 12, 2022). The Black Guerrilla Family 1966 – 1971: The Violent History of California's Most Notorious Prison Gang. Plebiscite Publishing Company. p. 216. ISBN 979-8808864979.
^ Murrin, John; Paul E. Johnson; James M. McPherson (2008). Liberty, Equality, Power: A History of the American People, Compact. Boston, MA: Thomson Wadsworth. p. 1136. ISBN 978-0-495-50243-2.
^ Cummins, Eric (1994). The Rise and Fall of California's Radical Prison Movement. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. p. 128. ISBN 0-8047-2231-5. OCLC 28112851.
^ Cite error: The named reference Carney_essay was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[1] Ouagadougou, Mbutu A. (May 12, 2022). The Black Guerrilla Family 1966 – 1971: The Violent History of California's Most Notorious Prison Gang. Plebiscite Publishing Company. p. 216. ISBN 979-8808864979.

[2] Murrin, John; Paul E. Johnson; James M. McPherson (2008). Liberty, Equality, Power: A History of the American People, Compact. Boston, MA: Thomson Wadsworth. p. 1136. ISBN 978-0-495-50243-2.

[3] Cummins, Eric (1994). The Rise and Fall of California's Radical Prison Movement. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. p. 128. ISBN 0-8047-2231-5. OCLC 28112851.

[Carney_essay-4] Cite error: The named reference Carney_essay was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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George Jackson

Born	George Lester Jackson (1941-09-23)September 23, 1941 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	August 21, 1971(1971-08-21) (aged 29) San Quentin, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Gunshot wounds
Resting place	Bethel Cemetery, Mount Vernon, Illinois^[1]
Known for	Prison activist^[2] and co-founder of the Black Guerrilla Family
Notable work	Soledad Brother: The Prison Letters of George Jackson Blood in My Eye
Parent(s)	Lester and Georgia Bea Jackson
Relatives	Jonathan P. Jackson (brother)