Happy birthday, Mumia Abu-Jamal! (April 24, 1954)

A longtime political prisoner of the US prison system, Mumia Abu-Jamal was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and became involved with the Black Panther Party as a teenager. He left the party at age 16 and became a journalist, still active in local left-wing social movements. He became president of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists and supported MOVE. In 1982, Abu-Jamal was convicted of the murder of a police officer, in a trial marred by unreliable evidence and falsified witness testimony. He has remained a prisoner of conscience ever since, continuing his appeals. He has become the subject of a movement dedicated to securing his release.