Who Is Mumia Abu-Jamal? The Black Man Behind One of America’s Most Polarizing Racial Bias Cases

['Phenix S Halley', 'Root', '--Ppa-Color-Scheme', '--Ppa-Color-Scheme-Active', '.Pp-Multiple-Authors-Boxes-Wrapper.Pp-Multiple-Authors-Layout-Inline.Multiple-Authors-Target-Shortcode .Pp-Author-Boxes-Avatar Img', 'Width', 'Important', 'Height', 'Border-Radius', '.Pp-Multiple-Authors-Boxes-Wrapper.Pp-Multiple-Authors-Layout-Inline.Multiple-Authors-Target-Shortcode .Pp-Author-Boxes-Meta A'] The Root 2026-08-11 09:20:08

(Photo by Lisa TerryFor more than four decades, one name has divided America, inspired activists and kept Philadelphia at the center of one of the nation’s most polarizing criminal cases: Mumia Abu-Jamal. While Abu-Jamal often covered these conflicts as a journalist, he was also involved in Black power organizations, including the Black Panther Party. A Signed Confession368970 07: Attorney Johnnie Cochran shows his support at a rally for Mumia Abu-Jamal in Madison Square Garden May 7, 2000 in New York City. Several thousand rallied to call for a retrial of internationally known death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal, convicted of the fatal 1981 shooting of a Philadelphia police officer. The judge has reinstated appeal rights to Mumia Abu-Jamal convicted of killing a city police officer more than 30 years ago.