George Jackson (activist)
George Lester Jackson (September 23, 1941 – August 21, 1971) was an American author, activist and convicted felon. While serving an indeterminate sentence for stealing $70 from a gas station in 1961, Jackson became involved in revolutionary activity and co-founded the prison gang Black Guerrilla Family.
George Jackson | |
|---|---|
| Born | George Lester Jackson September 23, 1941 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | August 21, 1971 (aged 29) San Quentin, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Gunshot wounds |
| Resting place | Bethel Cemetery, Mount Vernon, Illinois |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Prison activist and co-founder of the Black Guerrilla Family |
| Notable work | Soledad Brother: The Prison Letters of George Jackson |
| Parent(s) | Lester and Georgia Bea Jackson |
| Relatives | Jonathan P. Jackson (brother) |
In 1970, he was charged, along with two other Soledad Brothers, with the murder of correctional officer John Vincent Mills in the aftermath of a prison fight. The same year, he published Soledad Brother: The Prison Letters of George Jackson, a combination of autobiography and manifesto addressed to an African-American audience. The book became a bestseller and earned Jackson personal fame. Jackson was killed in prison by prison guards in 1971, during an escape attempt in which three prison guards and two inmates were killed.