Have Black Lives Ever Mattered?. Mumia Abu-Jamal

Written from the perspective of someone who was shot by police, and who advocates for justice for himself and the police officer killed. Mumia gives a voice to African Americans whose lives have been taken by police activity. Mumia names our current political moment in order to transform it. The national Black Lives Matter movement continues to grow and intensify in response to news of police killings of innocent people of color. Mumia is in many ways the moral, intellectual, and political mentor of this movement and the movement's involvement in spreading awareness of the book will add to its success.Mumia is the world's most renowned political prisoner. A large and committed support base for his freedom, writings, and perspectives continues to grow as a result of his intellectual output and a constant flow of support work, media, and films about him and what he represents as an imprisoned black journalist and intellectual.What makes this book particularly marketable is that it is accessible. Each of the 100 commentaries is short, focused, and well argued.Most of the pieces have never been published in any form. Most were written to be heard as radio commentaries, commencement speeches, or as podcasts.