Jackson, George (1941–1971)

Black Panther Party

Jackson was an active member of the Black Panther Party, the revolutionary group started in 1966 by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. The Black Panther Party's mission was to obtain economic, social, and political equality for Black people. The organization was considered radical because of their willingness to take up arms to fight for their cause. Although Jackson was behind bars and never participated in the Black Panther Party's police standoff or community rallies, he was one of best-known and most celebrated leaders in the party. Other Black Panthers thought of him as a true revolutionary and regarded his life as a symbol of power and strength.

In 1966, while being held at the Soledad Prison (California), George Jackson founded the prison gang the Black Guerrilla Family. The gang was politically driven and founded on some of the principles of Marx and Lenin. The mission of the gang was to destroy racism, maintain dignity while incarcerated, and overthrow the U.S. government. The gang remains organized in many state and federal facilities around the United States.

Because he was very vocal, George Jackson was often held in solitary confinement to stop him from organizing prisoners. Because of his leadership skills and involvement with the Black Guerrilla Family and Black Panther Party, Jackson was often isolated for 24 hours in his cell.

While in isolation, Jackson spent a great deal of his time reading and writing. He used the information he learned to fight for the oppressed behind bars. Jackson read the texts of Marx, Lenin, Trotsky, and Mao and studied the works of W. E. B. Du Bois and Frantz Fanon. He believed they spoke the language of revolution. He transformed himself into a leader and advocate for prisoners.

In his well-received 1970 book, Soledad Brother, Jackson chronicled his life and his internal conflicts from 1964 to 1970 through his letters. These memoirs of his experience in prison provided people with an inside view of his struggles and provided a glimpse at how difficult it is to remain strong in the system. Many readers gained insight into his loneliness, illness, and his fight for manhood through the letters. His words would incite [Page 404]prison advocacy and shed light on the thousands of men and women whom Jackson believed were political prisoners. His letters allowed outsiders not only to empathize with his struggles but also to sympathize with the American prisoner.

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