Marching for Mumia: a 12-day journey for justice

Activists will launch a 12-day March to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal on Nov. 28, walking from Philadelphia to SCI Mahanoy prison in Frackville, Pennsylvania. Their purpose is urgent: to demand medical care, dignity, and freedom for the world-renowned political prisoner.

Mumia Abu-Jamal, a former Black Panther and award-winning journalist, was framed for the 1981 killing of a Philadelphia police officer after a racist trial marked by falsified evidence, coerced witnesses, and judicial bias. For more than 40 years, he has exposed the injustice of mass incarceration from behind bars, becoming one of the most important political voices of his generation.

International human-rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have long condemned his conviction as a travesty of justice. He was once sentenced to death, but his sentence was later reduced to life without parole — a living death behind prison walls.

Now 71 years old, Mumia faces serious health problems. After months of public pressure, he received cataract surgery on his left eye in September. But he still needs surgery on his right eye and treatment for diabetic retinopathy, a condition that can cause blindness if untreated. Supporters call the deliberate delay elder abuse — another form of state violence against a political prisoner.

The march’s rallying cries — Free Mumia Abu-Jamal, End Medical Neglect, End Elder Abuse — connect one man’s struggle to the broader crisis of medical neglect and elder abuse of prisoners throughout the United States.

Organizing the 12-day route requires food, housing, transportation, medical care, and legal, security, and media support. A hybrid organizing meeting earlier this month at Philadelphia’s Ethical Society drew veteran Free Mumia activists and new participants alike, determined to carry the struggle forward.

“We will never stop fighting for Mumia because he has never stopped fighting for us,” said Mama Pam, speaking at a 2023 rally in Philadelphia.

When marchers reach the gates of SCI Mahanoy on Dec. 9, they will be carrying more than one man’s cause. They will be marching against a system that jails the poor, silences dissent, and treats human life as disposable — and for the right to justice and freedom.

How to support the march to free Mumia

You don’t have to walk the full 12 days to be part of this struggle. Organizers are calling for broad solidarity to make the march possible.

Ways to help include:

• Volunteer for logistics — including driving, food preparation, housing coordination, security, medical, and media teams.
• Donate to help cover marchers’ supplies, lodging, and other logistical costs.
• Share updates on social media and help spread the call to free Mumia.
• Organize local solidarity events and teach-ins about Mumia’s case and the fight against mass incarceration.

The march is coordinated by Free Mumia Abu-Jamal activists and allies from across the country.

An organizing meeting was held on Nov. 3 at the Ethical Society, 1906 South Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, with ongoing coordination online.

For updates, volunteer sign-ups, and donations, visit freemumia.com or follow @BringMumiaHome on social media.

“Until Mumia is free, none of us are free.”