Back in the Sixties, H. Rap Brown was known as the fiery chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee who famously declared that “Violence is as American as cherry pie.” Today his name is Imam Jamil Al-Amin, a respected Muslim leader and 75-year-old prisoner in the federal penitentiary in Tucson, Arizona, whom many supporters believe was framed on a 2000 murder charge.
The Virginia Defender
Established in 2005 as The Richmond Defender, The Virginia Defender is a free community newspaper, published quarterly for the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality. Print distribution is currently 12,000 and statewide. The online publication launched in Summer 2020.
MORE THAN HALF OF ALL TRANS MALES ATTEMPT SUICIDE
More than half of all male trans teenagers have attempted suicide. That’s according to the new study “Transgender Adolescent Suicide Behavior” by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
CRIMINAL INJUSTICE REFORM NETWORK LAUNCHED TO DO “INTENTIONAL” ADVOCACY
“Intentional” was the key word used to describe a new prisoner advocacy organization headed by longtime prisoner rights activist BeKura Waliah Shabazz Branch.
CHICAGO DEFENDER ENDS PRINT EDITION – PART OF A TREND
Marking the end of an era, the 114-yearold Chicago Defender released its final print edition on July 10. Succumbing to trends that have fundamentally transformed the newspaper industry, the iconic Black newspaper has switched to an all-online model.
A Defenders Working-Class Guide for Preparing for Big Storms
The Defenders have written a guide to help you prepare for big storms – without spending a lot of money.
Jermaine Doss Update
There’s a new legal development in the case of Virginia prisoner Jermaine Doss, now 20 years into a sentence of life-plus-38 years for a crime many believe he did not commit.
2019 MARKS 400 YEARS SINCE THE FIRST CAPTURED AFRICANS WERE BROUGHT TO BRITISH-OCCUPIED NORTH AMERICA. IT’S PAST TIME TO RECLAIM SHOCKOE BOTTOM!
John Rolfe, the illegal alien who became famous for marrying the native princess Pocohontas, was also the businessman who introduced a particularly valuable strain of Virginia tobacco to England, thus creating a market that required large-scale agriculture, which in turn required enslaved labor to be profitable.
The Virginia Defender 