Sign On to the Religious Call
Read and Sign the Reverend’s Letter
To The Honorable Lucretia Clemons,
We, the undersigned clergy, write to express our collective support for a new trial in the case of Mr. Mumia Abu-Jamal. As faith leaders, we firmly believe in the values of justice, fairness, and dignity. These universal principles are particularly important in the case of Mr. Abu-Jamal, who has been in prison for 40 years. We are aware that in 2018, boxes of legal documents were found in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office that had been hidden since Mr. Abu-Jamal’s 1982 trial, which include evidence of bribed witnesses and race-based jury selection bias. We urge you to use your authority to allow this evidence to be heard and to reverse your preliminary denial of Mumia Abu-Jamal’s Post Conviction Relief Application.
We strongly appreciate your stated commitment to justice in your recent statement at the Racial Justice and Healing Commission of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, where you are a member. As you said,
“When you are in a position to stop something wrong, you do it. I think one of the most important things to focus on is truth and reconciliation. A familiar cry in the street during the social justice protests is ‘No justice, no peace.’ And while I know that many people want peace, they really want quiet. Quiet is not the same as peace. Peace requires justice, and justice requires truth.”
— Lucretia Clemons
As people of faith, we wholly agree with your stance. We are using our positions to stop the wrong of delaying justice in Mr. Abu-Jamal’s case. But ultimately, you have the authority. The heart of the Gospel is a commitment to social justice in word and deed. That requires truth-telling, reconciliation, and the application of justice. In the case of Mr. Mumia Abu-Jamal, truth, justice, and reconciliation looks like the racially based discrimination and trauma inflicted by Philadelphia police and prosecutors against Mr. Abu-Jamal be openly acknowledged and addressed.
In light of our collective commitment to the principles of our shared faith, we urgently call on you to do what is morally right and legally just: reverse your preliminary denial of Mr. Abu-Jamal’s PCRA and grant him immediate relief.
Thank you,
Rev. Dr. Nyle Fort
Minister of Social Justice
Riverside Church