Jackson, George

David B. Taylor

George Jackson was one of the early pioneers of the prisoner rights movement. As a member of the Black Panthers and the founder of the prison-based Black Guerilla Family, he became a symbol for revolutionary organization and a soldier of the people against capitalist control and power. These days, Jackson is best remembered as the author of the prison letters in Soledad Brother and for his death at the hands of prison officers at San Quentin Penitentiary. George Jackson was born on September 24, 1941, in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in a poverty-ridden industrial area just outside of the city. His childhood was characterized by risk taking, maladjustment, defiance, and delinquency. The family moved frequently around Chicago and eventually to Los Angeles. The enticements on the west coast were no fewer, however, and Jackson's involvement in delinquency progressed to gang involvement and more serious criminality. His contacts with the ...

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