It has been my experience that because of institutional and individual racism

Chapter 39
Back to Angola
While I was in the Amite City jail a new colonel at Angola, nicknamed
Macho Man by prisoners, was making conditions worse at CCR. He oversaw
Camp J and CCR at the same time and started taking away CCR privileges,
making CCR more punitive. I received letters from King and Herman
describing the situation. Since all prisoner mail is opened and read by prison
officials, I had to read between the lines. When King wrote, “Man, shit is
going down” somewhere in the prison, I knew he was talking about CCR.
When he wrote, “Man, I haven’t had anything to eat all day,” I knew they
were planning a hunger strike.
I was sentenced on February 23, 1999, to natural life without the
possibility of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence. I was ready to go
back and stand with my comrades. Since my conviction, I had been mentally
preparing myself to be locked down again for 23 hours a day. It was very
difficult to think about being put back in solitary after almost three years in
the general prison population, but I didn’t have a choice. The alternative to
surviving it was to be broken. When I was returned to solitary confinement in
CCR I was placed on B tier. My comrade and friend Kenny “Zulu” Whitmore
was on that tier. Herman was on F tier and King was on C tier. Zulu passed
me a cassette tape of Malcolm X speaking that I listened to in my cell that
night. I’d read Malcolm’s writings in books many times before. It was
something special to hear Malcolm’s voice. The biggest lesson I learned from
Malcolm is that change is possible, that you can transition from what society
has made you, as a result of your race and your economic situation, and
redefine yourself. Malcolm also taught me how to look beyond my
immediate surroundings.
King and Herman had already put together a petition, gotten it signed by

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prisoners, and filed a grievance with the warden about the stricter conditions
at CCR. The warden never responded. When I arrived, notes were being
passed between tiers to plan the hunger strike, encouraging guys to