At the heart of Black August is the spirit of resistance through revolutionary principles. #BlackAugust isn’t about barbecues and festivals and consumerism; it is about fasting and commemorating the brothers and sisters of the black struggle in America who were held and some who are still being held as political prisoners in prisons and jails. In extension, Black August also pays tribute, bestows honor, to the martyrs, the freedom fighters and heroes, who resisted all forms of oppression in this maafa. It is memorial day to the revolutionaries who stood up for black liberation. However, Black August’s origins are most specifically rooted in the California prison system of the 1960’s and 1970’s.
George Jackson, W.L. Nolen, Hugo Pinell, Ruchell Cinque Magee … and Them
Freedom Fighters, Jonathan Jackson, George Jackson, William Christmas, James McClain and Khatari Gaulden. Jonathan Jackson was gunned down outside the Marin County California courthouse on August 7, 1970 as he attempted to liberate three imprisoned Black Liberation Fighters: James McClain, William Christmas and Ruchell Magee.
