My dismissal from Wade cannot short-circuit my faith commitment to
continue to work for justice. It simply means I am to work on the
outside rather than on the inside.
A3N: This week, on January 7, you attended Albert's oral arguments before the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Do you have any reflections on what transpired there?
PB: As I sat in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and listened to arguments from both sides, I listened very closely with the assumption that both sides were represented by people of good will who simply had different views regarding the issue of whether or not objective race-neutral criteria had been used in the grand jury selection process in West Feliciana Parish in the case of Mr. Woodfox.
When the issue of literacy was raised, I became especially interested as I have a Ph.D. in English and taught college-level English, in addition to prison literacy, for over thirty years of my professional career before becoming an ordained minister. I am keenly aware of the unjust bias that is attached to how minorities use the English language and the unfair disadvantage this can create in minority communities.
Also, I am keenly aware that voter registration pools are sometimes
inadequate to provide a race-neutral grand jury of one's peers.
These observations, along with my faith commitment, compel me to continue to actively support Mr. Woodfox's appeal for equal justice under the law.
His conviction has been overturned three times. Why do authorities persist in keeping him in lock down? Only they can say.
There is still time to take action for Albert!
--Angola 3 News is a project of the International Coalition to Free the Angola 3. Our website is http://www.angola3news.com where we provide the latest news about the Angola 3. We are also creating our own media projects, which spotlight the issues central to the story of the Angola 3, like racism, repression, prisons, human rights, solitary confinement as torture, and more.
A3N: This week, on January 7, you attended Albert's oral arguments before the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Do you have any reflections on what transpired there?
PB: As I sat in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and listened to arguments from both sides, I listened very closely with the assumption that both sides were represented by people of good will who simply had different views regarding the issue of whether or not objective race-neutral criteria had been used in the grand jury selection process in West Feliciana Parish in the case of Mr. Woodfox.
When the issue of literacy was raised, I became especially interested as I have a Ph.D. in English and taught college-level English, in addition to prison literacy, for over thirty years of my professional career before becoming an ordained minister. I am keenly aware of the unjust bias that is attached to how minorities use the English language and the unfair disadvantage this can create in minority communities.
These observations, along with my faith commitment, compel me to continue to actively support Mr. Woodfox's appeal for equal justice under the law.
His conviction has been overturned three times. Why do authorities persist in keeping him in lock down? Only they can say.
There is still time to take action for Albert!
--Angola 3 News is a project of the International Coalition to Free the Angola 3. Our website is http://www.angola3news.com where we provide the latest news about the Angola 3. We are also creating our own media projects, which spotlight the issues central to the story of the Angola 3, like racism, repression, prisons, human rights, solitary confinement as torture, and more.
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