Mumia – Long Distance Revolutionary has to be seen.
It’s too important not to be seen.
That’s why I’m fighting for people in Durham to see the film.
I’m
fighting because of a man I love and respect.
Keith Cook is a man I’ve followed since moving to Durham in 1989 to
attend graduate school at Duke University.
I knew about him before I met and developed a friendship with his wife
to be – Evonne Coleman-Cook. Keith and
Evonne are the type of people you’re willing to go to battle with just because
you know it’s the right thing to do.
So,
I was shocked when Evonne told me Mumia Abu-Jamal is Keith’s brother. He had kept it to himself while serving as a member
of the Orange County School Board. It’s
not that Keith wasn’t supportive of his brother. He simply allowed others to take the lead on
the fight to free the man known for being the voice of those on death row.
I
wrote two columns last year about Keith’s connection with his famous brother. He told me then that he’s taking a more
active role in the fight for his brother’s freedom. I could see it on his face. Keith is carrying a tremendous amount of
hurt. He talked to me about the pain of
children not being able to hug their father.
I’m a father. I can’t imagine not
being able to hug King, Lenise and Krista.
Last
week, Evonne and Keith told me Mumia’s son, Jamal Hart, lives in the area. He’s a chef in Chapel Hill. They told me the story of Jamal being stopped
for possession of a firearm. When
authorities up in Philadelphia learned that Jamal’s father is Mumia, his
charges were booted up to federal offenses.
Jamal spent 14 years incarcerated for that.
I
call that payback.
My
feet started moving after talking to Keith and Evonne. Strength often comes when guilt and pain
combine to force a flooding of tears. I
had just written a blog about the censoring of the documentary in Newark,
NJ. Evonne called me in between
footsteps.
“I
mentioned to Keith that he should contact the Carolina Theatre,” Evonne
said. It was too late. I was already there.
The
rest seemed like a miracle. Jim, the
dude who manages the film portion at the Carolina Theatre, walks through the
door in the middle of my conversation with Cora. Cora is an old friend. I was offering comfort due to her receiving
news that her pastor, Phillip Cousin, has been reassigned to the Bethel AME Church
in San Francisco.
Jim
moved fast. Real fast. Within minutes he returned after a phone call
to offer us dates to show the film. This
is when the preacher in me comes out.
God is working, I thought. Yes, I
wanted to shout.
You
see, you must come and support this film.
Why? Because this is a local story.
Two people I love are impacted by the incarceration of Mumia
Abu-Jamal. How many of us have been
touched by the lives of Evonne and Keith?
For those who remember Evonne during her days at the Arts Council – show
up. For those who remember her days at
Duke – show up. For those who remember Keith’s
service to the school board in Orange County – come to Durham. Show up.
Show
up for hurting children. Come support
Jamal. Listen to his story. Show up for the countless black men serving
prison terms with evidence tainted by race.
Come listen to the struggle to be heard.
The
film is worth seeing. There are
interviews with Cornel West, Alice Walker, Angela Davis, Rubin “Hurricane”
Carter, Ruby Dee, Dick Gregory, James Cone and a list of others that reads like
the roll call of the most influential people in America.
You
have to show up. It’s far too important
to miss. Come see it twice. Why? To make
a statement about what we desire seeing.
We need more films like this.
There are too many untold stories.
If we pack the place we give reason for more films like this being
shown.
Be
it the story of Angela Davis, or one of the great films created by Dante James,
a local filmmaker, we must say yes with our decision to support this film. Come see it on Monday. Come back on Tuesday
for the panel discussion.
Members
of the family will be there. So will one
of Mumia’s attorney’s. Do it to
learn. Do it to support my friends. Do it because justice is rolling like a
river.
Tickets
go on sale Tuesday, May 28. For more
information, go to:
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