Earlier this month, the San Jose Peace And Justice Center hosted the Free ALL Political Prisoners! Benefit and fundraiser for attorney and recently-released political prisoner Lynne Stewart, who is currently battling breast cancer. A number well-known speakers and activists attended the event to show their solidarity with Stewart and political prisoners around the world, including Ramona Africa, Jeff Mackler, and Karen Lee Wald. The San Jose Peace And Justice Center is proud to share the following clips from the event, where these respected and venerable freedom fighters share their stories, their struggles, and their support for the rights of all.
“I wanna start by giving my utmost respect to Lynne Stewart, and to her husband, Ralph Poynter,” began Ramona Africa, political activist and last surviving member of the infamous bombing of the MOVE Organization's headquarters in Philadelphia, PA. “Lynne took a strong, uncompromising stance. She did what attorneys are supposed to do.”
Her respect for Lynne's struggle and sacrifice is more than eminent. “If all of our freedom fighters, our political prisoners had attorneys like Lynne Stewart, a lot of them would not be in prison today,” she claimed. “We know how rotten the system is, and we know that those that run this rotten system do whatever they want to do. But Lynne would expose them, put them on the spot. Make them do out in the open in front of the people what they like doing in the dark, behind closed doors...Lynne will not allow that.”
She went on to talk about her experiences in the MOVE organization and the wisdom they've conveyed, the importance of supporting political prisoners, and how their fight for freedom is our fight for equality.