It was reading Malcolm X that convinced Chokwe Lumumba to go to law school. Malcolm X had wanted to be a lawyer, but his teachers discouraged him. As an undergraduate student at Kalamazoo College in Michigan in the late 1960s, Lumumba decided to be the lawyer that Malcolm X might have been.
In the nearly four decades since them Lumumba as championed civil rights in Michigan and Mississippi, working as a lawyer representing accused murderers in front of unsympathetic juries; as the vice-president of the Republic of New Afrika, a Detroit-based black-nationalist group in the late ’60s; and currently as a City Council Member in Jackson, Miss.
In June, however, Lumumba was recognized for serving a different community. He is one of this year’s recipients of the Freedom from Fear Award, produced by the nonprofit group, Public Interest Projects. The honor recognized accomplishments made on behalf of immigrants and refugees.
Freedom From Fear Awards: Immigrant Rights A New Frontier for Black Activist – New America Media
Read Chokwe Lumumba’s life story and activism at the link. Fascinating, inspiring and a role model that we should all learn about in these troubled times.
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