First celebrated in 1979, Black August was created to commemorate George Jackson’s fight for Black liberation. Fifty-one years since his death, Black August is now a monthlong awareness campaign and celebration dedicated to Black freedom fighters, revolutionaries, radicals and political prisoners, both living and deceased. The annual commemorations have been embraced by activists in the global Black Lives Matter movement, many of whom draw inspiration from freedom fighters like Jackson and his contemporaries.
From Bois Caiman/the Haitian Revolution, the Nat Turner Rebellion, Fugitive Slave Law Conventions and the foundation of the Underground Railroad to the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, from the March on Washington to the Watts Uprising, from the births of Marcus Garvey, Russell Maroon Shoatz and Fred Hampton to the deaths of W.E.B. du Bois and George Jackson’s own younger brother Jonathan we commemorate their fight and the continued fight to survive in a societal system deeply rooted in white supremacy and anti-Blackness nearly two centuries after the abolishment of slavery and five decades since the eradication of Jim Crow. It’s been 250 years and Black Americans are still impacted by their oppression in ways that impact our spiritual, physical and mental health. It’s exhausting. Not only for those of us in this country, but also for our brothers and sisters across the diaspora. Oftentimes, our fight to exist pulls us away from self-care and cultural preservation. It’s imperative we allow ourselves to have a moment of reflection and renewal in our journey forward.
Photo credit: Left Voice
The Significance of Black August
Black August honors the freedom fighters who, with their vision, tenacity and deep love for Black communities, lead us toward true liberation. This entire month surrounds observation of BLACK LIBERATION within our history AND an annual commemoration to remember Black political prisoners and our freedom struggles in the United States and beyond. Check out our posts on social media to follow highlights of Black resistance against racial, colonial and imperialist oppression.
AND when we say "our history" we're referring to the history of Black or African-American people which runs in tandem to American history. Some of the key dates and people that are observed during Black August include:
August 1: Emancipation Day in Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Canada
August 7: death of Jonathan P. Jackson (d. August 7, 1970) at San Quentin State Prison
August 11: Watts riots also known as the Watts Uprising, August 11-16 1965
August 14: Bois Caiman: Vodou ceremony that led to the first large scale uprising of the enslaved of Saint Domingue and spark the Haitian Revolution
August 17: Africa for the Africans! Today we pour libation and celebrate the birth and life of pan-africanist leader, the Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey (August 17, 1887 - June 10, 1940)
August 21: beginning of Nat Turner's Rebellion (August 21-23, 1831)
August 21: Long live George Jackson (August 21, 1971)
Baba Mutulu Shakur, PhD (d. July 7, 2023) - Dr. Shakur participated in civil rights, Black liberation and acupuncture healthcare movements from the late 1960s to the 1980s. We continue to send protection, blessings and love to Sis Assata Shakur! ✊🏾
August 23: Uprising of the enslaved in Saint Domingue, beginning of the Ayitian/Haitian Revolution and the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition (UNESCO)
August 30: Birth of Fred Hampton, deputy chairman of the Black Panther Party. Fred Hampton was assassinated by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation
Photo caption: Assata speaking about the importance of justice, self-determination & the role of black women in struggle
Photo: Scott Braley
“People get used to anything. The less you think about your oppression, the more your tolerance for it grows. After a while, people just think oppression is the normal state of things. But to become free, you have to be acutely aware of being a slave.” ― Assata Shakur, Assata: An Autobiography
Black Freedom Fighters
Free Them All! Political Prisoners and the Black Radical Tradition
Six Black radicals have endured decades of incarceration because of their 1970s membership in the Black Panthers or its offshoot, the Black Liberation Army. In 2018, there were 19 such political prisoners (and who knows how many before then). After being incarcerated for 40 to 50 years, the other 14 were either released, died in prison, or died shortly after release. (Assata Shakur escaped prison, in 1979, to Cuba where she lives under asylum. She is now 76.)
Photo credit: Abolitionist Law Center
It is generally understood that the crimes for which these prisoners were arrested and convicted were pinned on them and/or led to disproportionate sentences by officials eager to neutralize and punish these political activists. They are political prisoners.
Mumia Abu-Jamal Incarcerated since: 1981. Age: 69
1: Mumia Abu-Jamal (formerly Wesley Cook) is incarcerated at SCI Mahanoy, PA. Before his arrest, Mumia had been the president of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists. He was convicted of murdering police officer Daniel Faulkner and given a death sentence, commuted to life without parole in 2011. In 2023, a judge dismissed his appeal for a new trial based on exonerating evidence found in 2019.
Joseph Joe-Joe Bowen Incarcerated since: 1971 Age: 78
2: Joseph “Joe-Joe” Bowen is incarcerated at SCI Fayette, PA. He was convicted of murdering police officer Joseph Kelly. Prisoner Solidarity states “During his time in prison he has raised the consciousness of thousands of Pennsylvania prisoners through his powerful history and political/military education classes.” He was held in “control unit segregation” for 40 years until 2017.
Fred “Muhammad” Burton. Incarcerated since: 1970. Age: 77
3: Fred “Muhammad” Burton is incarcerated at SCI Somerset, PA. He was also convicted of murdering Sgt. Von Colln and given a death by incarceration sentence.
WHYY reported that Bowen and Burton were also convicted in 1973 of fatally stabbing a prison warden and deputy “after they were denied a room to meet with their Muslim group.”
As Saleem said at the rally in 2020, “We’re not really here to go over whether they are innocent or guilty. Our position is clear: They have done enough time. They’re seniors.”
Veronza Bowers, Jr. Incarcerated since: 1973. Age: 78
4. Veronza Bowers, Jr. is incarcerated at FCI Butner, NC for the murder of U.S. park ranger Kenneth Patrick. He’s always said he was framed—convicted solely on the word of two government informers with no other eyewitnesses or evidence. At trial, two of those informants’ relatives testified that the informants were lying but were ignored. His scheduled 2005 parole was blocked “based on political pressure by GW Bush appointed Attorney General Alberto Gonzales apparently on behalf of the Association of National Park Rangers, the widow of the dead ranger and the Fraternal Order of Police.”
Kojo Bomani Sababu. Incarcerated since: 1975. Age: 70
5. Kojo Bomani Sababu (formerly Grailing Brown) is incarcerated at USP Canaan, PA. Arrested for bank robbery, he was then charged with the murder of a drug dealer, and in 1981, convicted of seditious conspiracy. In 1988, he was charged with planning to help Puerto Rican independence fighter Oscar Lopez Rivera escape from federal prison. Pres. Obama later freed Rivera.
Kamau Sadiki Incarcerated since: 2002. Age: 71
6. Kamau Sadiki (formerly Freddie Hilton) just turned 71 at Augusta State Medical Prison, GA, where he suffers from inadequate care of several serious health problems. In 2002, after he refused to cooperate with FBI attempts to recapture former MOVE member Assata Shakur, the FBI charged him with the 1971 murder of police officer James Green. There was no evidence and the judge blocked exonerating testimony but allowed irrelevant info about Sadiki’s 1970s Black Liberation Army membership. He got life in prison.
As we honor political prisoners and our liberation from oppression, we have to highlight the Republic of New Afrika and the work toward economic empowerment one of their leaders, Baba Hekima Kanyama, has continued through Us Lifting Us. Don’t know about the RNA them? Get a copy of their book We Shoot Back or check out this historical article on their work!
The Black Panther Party is one of the most well-known organizations of Freedom Fighters with prominent names such as Huey P. Newton, Bobby Seale, and Angela Davis.
These activists created a blueprint for the Black liberation movement and many experienced the loss of freedom through jail and other forms of captivity and oppression which sought to silence their voices. We must advocate for justice and fair review of these cases so that those who were unjustly put into captivity may be exonerated.
To offer a deeper perspective we must look at the principles of Black August which are: “study, fast, train, fight.” To participate in Black August we must consider committing to higher levels of discipline throughout the month. This can include fasting from food and drink, frequent physical exercise, and political study and engagement in political struggle.
These key figures trained their bodies and minds for combat!
SPIRITUAL WORK - Call on our ancestors and elevated ancestors who were freedom fighters for support (see a list at bottom of the page and add names in the comments for us to include)
STUDY - Study to learn more - to be a better person, to be a better member of the Earth, commit to learning about one person
FAST - Fast in solidarity
TRAIN - Training and preparing our mind body and soul
FIGHT - Fight for liberation
Black Liberation in the U.S.
"Black liberation looks like a healthy, joyful, resource- and opportunity-filled, wealthy Black community. With no fear of officers, who swore to protect. Where young Black adults do not have to fight for a small inch of respect [2]."
Black liberation for us is to experience fair and equal opportunities - without biases or prejudice. The principles of "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" are the framework (and irony) that our country was built on. This principle is thrown around in textbooks and used in curriculums across the nation AND these words DO NOT speak to the historical context of Black Americans' experiences.
The cognitive dissonance that results from years of oppression and false claims of "freedom" lead to the exasperated stance of freedom fighters who decided not to ask for "liberties" that were inherently theirs.
Liberation is a way of being. It is our birthright. We do not need to ask for permission to be free - it simply is ours to exist within.
Some of the adjacent organizations to BSI that embody the ideals of Black Liberation include:
FTP (For The People) - Which supports prosecutors to look back at past sentences.
Malcom X Grass Roots Movement - An organization of Afrikans in America/New Afrikans whose mission is to defend the human rights of our people and promote self-determination in our community.
Photo credit: African American Intellectual History Society
“When a nation can’t admit to the process through which it builds hegemony, how can anything but delusion be a reality?” ― George L. Jackson, Soledad Brother: The Prison Letters of George Jackson
BSI Observes Black Liberation Through our Annual Summit
Within Black Sustainability our mission is our foundation and framework for what we're building. With that in mind, our vision is the anchor of our global network. This is the essence of who we are.
In order for us to embody the spirit of Black liberation we must ensure every action we take is intentional.
Our mission
To mobilize sustainability practitioners of Afrikan descent to (re)build sustainable communities and economies that will restore balance to our planet.
Our vision
We envision a world that honors Afrikan ancestral wisdom and ingenuity to restore the well-being of our planet and generations to come.
Pictured: Professor Bayinnah Bello & drummers guiding our libation (on stage) at
our 2023 8th Annual Black Sustainability Summit
"We are not healthy living in a sick society" - Professor Bayinnah Bello
We explored themes of Black liberation during our 2023 Black Sustainability Summit. In this segment (linked above) immediately following libation, Mama Bayyinah shares a brief history on Ayiti/Haiti (the first independent Black nation in the Americas, reclaiming their name 'Ayiti' in Haitian Creole), what present-day challenges our people on this island face, and the work she is doing to address these issues in a sustainable manner.
Bayyinah Bello is a historian with expertise in Haitian and Pan-African history. She is also well known for being a teacher, writer and humanitarian worker, who in her earlier career spent 15 years living and traveling in West Africa, including four years in Nigeria, as well as in Benin, Togo, and other countries in the region.
Now based in Port-au-Prince, Bello is the founder of an organization for historical research called Fondasyon Félicité (FF), named after Marie-Claire Heureuse Félicité Bonheur Dessalines the Empress consort of Haiti and wife of revolutionary leader of Haiti Jean-Jacques Dessalines. In the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the non-profit organization Friends of Fondasyon Félicité was set up to directly support FF, focusing on rebuilding the country.
This is my first time doing a deep dive into the Black liberation struggles centered within Black August. I'm learning about the individual suffering many of the key leaders in this movement navigated daily. They demanded justice and freedom in an unjust system. These leaders were demonized and exiled literally & figuratively. As we reflect on these internal struggles it is imperative to remember the laws of spirit and embody, "As Above So Below." The principles of Ma'at which honors balance, and the internal guidance of our soul which exemplifies the spirit of our ancestors. -Lauriel Stewart, Black Sustainability Inc.'s Communications & Marketing Specialist
Final Thoughts & Reflections:
The Legacy Continues
It's up to us to continue the legacy of our ancestors and to celebrate the embodiment of strength and resilience that lies within.
How Do You or Your Organization Embody The Spirit of Black August Today?
Comment below and let us know how you or your organization embodies the spirit of Black August. Which aspects of Black Liberation are you embodying through your purpose and/or mission in life?
Host a Watch Party during Black August:
Black August is a 2007 drama film directed by Samm Styles and starring Gary Dourdan, Darren Bridgett, Ezra Stanley, "Big" Leroy Mobley, and Don Williams. It was produced by Tcinque Sampson. The film centers on the story of George Jackson's life. [3]
Antebellum is a 2020 American black horror thriller film written and directed by Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz in their feature directorial debuts. The film stars Janelle Monáe, Eric Lange, Jena Malone, Jack Huston, Kiersey Clemons and Gabourey Sidibe, and follows a 21st-century African-American woman who wakes to find herself mysteriously in a Southern slave plantation from which she must escape. [4]
As we pour libation to our elevated ancestors:
Madiba Nelson Mandela
Fredrick Douglass
W.E.B DuBois
El Hajj Malik Shabazz/Malcolm X
Julian Bond
John Lewis
Fannie Lou Hamer
Medgar Evers
Charles Hamilton Houston
James Weldon Johnson
Richard Allen
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Oscar Micheaux
Harry T. and Hariette Moore
Mary White Ovington
Thurgood Marshall
Rosa Parks, and
Carter G. Woodson just to name a few.
Call on strength and support for those still in prison and for those of us outside of prison walls to advocate for their release!
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