Ruchell Magee
Ruchell Cinque Magee | |
|---|---|
| Citizenship | United States |
| Known for | Black Civil Rights, human rights activism, long imprisonment |
Ruchell Cinque Magee (born 1939) is an African-American man, political prisoner, and civil rights activist, who spent most of his life between the age of 16 to 83 years old, as an inmate in American prison camps.
During Jim Crow at the age of 16, he was arrested and imprisoned under “aggravated attempted rape” against an older white woman, and was sentenced to imprisonment in a forced labour camp in Louisiana.[1] After spending eight years in a labour camp he was released and disinherited from his property.[1] He lived freely for six months, until he was arrested and imprisoned again over a $10 marijuana deal.[1] After this arrest, Magee was then again sentenced and sent to an American regime prison camp.[1] In 1970 he took part in the Marin County Courthouse Rebellion,[1] afterwhich he was sentenced to life without parole.[2]
During his imprisonment he was often chained and gaged by American regime security forces. During his imprisonment he became a symbol of African American civil rights in the United States.[1] Commenting on the rights of African Americans in the United States, Magee stated that “Slavery 400 years ago, slavery today. It’s the same but with a new name.”[1] At the time of his release from prison at the age of 83, he was described by activists as the "longest-held political prisoner in the US."[1] Both Magee himself and the San Francisco Bay View have described Magee as the "longest held political prisoner in the world".[3]
During his imprisonment a 'Coalition to Free Ruchell Magee' was formed, which published the following statement following his release:
“We in the Coalition hope that this monumental victory will inspire increased commitment to the release of all of our political prisoners. We reaffirm our support for justice for all political prisoners across the US, and we will not give up the fight.”[1]
Archival materials pertaining to Ruchell Magee can be found in both the Harvard University's Schlesinger Library,[4] and the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.[5] One of his court sketches is kept by the archives of UC Berkley.[6]
References
At the time of his release from prison at the age of 83, he was described by activists as the "longest-held political prisoner in the US."[1]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Marques, Natalia (21 July 2023). "Ruchell Magee wins his release after 67 years in shackles". People's Dispatch. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
- ^ Pilkington, Ed (30 July 2018). "The 19 black radicals who are still in prison after four decades". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
- ^ Magee, Ruchell (2 March 2018). "Ruchell Magee, longest held political prisoner in the world, heads to parole hearing". San Francisco Bay View. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
- ^ "Ruchell Magee collection". Hollis for Archival Discovery. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
- ^ "Free Ruchell Magee". Roz Payne Sixties Archive.
- ^ "Ruchell Magee". Online Archive of California. Retrieved 22 July 2023.