For Jonathan Peter Jackson, a direct relative of two prominent members of the Black Panther Party, revolutionary thought and family history have always been intertwined, particularly in August.
That's the month in 1971 when his uncle, the famed Panther George Jackson, was killed during an uprising at San Quentin State Prison in California. A revolutionary whose words resonated inside and out of the prison walls, he was a published author, activist and radical thought leader.
"It's important to do this now because a lot of people who were on the radical scene during that time period, relatives and non-relatives, who are like blood relatives, are entering their golden years," said Jonathan Jackson, 51, of Fair Hill, Maryland. Inspired by his words and frustrated with his situation, George's younger brother, Jonathan, initiated a takeover at the Marin County Superior Court in California in 1970. He freed three inmates and held several courthouse staff hostage, in an attempt to demand the release of his brother and two other inmates, known as the Soledad Brothers, who were accused of killing a correctional officer.
"This idea that there was this one narrow way that Black people resisted oppression is really a myth that is dispelled by Black August," said Bandele, who is also a member of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, a group that raises awareness of political prisoners.
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