Albert Woodfox, who was held in solitary confinement for more than four decades, has died at the age of 75.
The death of Woodfox was made public on Thursday by his long-term lawyers, George and Carine Williams. He died from Covid-related problems.
There are times I wish I was back there.
The so-called "Angola Three" were wrongly convicted of the murder of a prison guard in 1972 and were released. The site of the former slave plantation where the prison was built was also where most of the plantation's enslaved people were taken.
The Black Panther party inside the prison was started by Woodfox and Wallace. They protested against the segregation of prisoners and the cotton picking that Black prisoners were subjected to.
His false conviction was punishment for his Black radicalism. Woodfox and Wallace were placed in solitary confinement after they were found guilty of Miller's death.
Wallace was released after a lengthy legal battle, despite prison authorities trying to get him back inside. Two days later, he died from cancer.
He was freed on his 69th birthday. He told the Guardian that he had survived decades of solitary despite frequent terrifying bouts of claustrophobia.
We decided that we wouldn't be institutionalized. He said that they made efforts to improve and motivate themselves over time.
In his book, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer prize, he talked about the strength that allowed him and Wallace to survive. They have been known to cause mental breakdown in people within a week.
He buried himself in prison books to study Frantz Fanon and Malcolm X. He organized games that were played in solitary cells by shouting down the tier or banging on the pipes.
Several young prisoners were taught how to read by the same man.
Woodfox told the Guardian that their cells were supposed to be death chambers. We used the time to develop the tools that we needed to survive, to be part of society and humanity instead of being bitter and angry.
He devoted himself to educating the public in the US and beyond about the atrocities of the US criminal justice system. He traveled all over the world to speak to school children and judges.
He found joy wherever he went. He visited the grave of his beloved mother, Ruby Mable Hamlin, who had died while he was still imprisoned, and enjoyed untrammeled time with his daughter, son-in-law, and other family members.
He adopted a dog that was found on a levee. The dog was named Hobo.
Woodfox was an optimist despite all the institutional cruelties that rained down on him. He writes in his book that he hopes for a better world. It is my hope that a new human being will evolve so that we don't have to suffer anymore.
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