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<a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/zirin03252006.html" eudora="autourl">
http://www.counterpunch.org/zirin03252006.html<br><br>
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Weekend Edition<br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=4>March 25 / 26,
2006<br><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=5 color="#990000"><i>More
Than an Athlete<br><br>
</i></font><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=5>Death Row Talks
Back to Etan Thomas<br><br>
</b>By DAVE ZIRIN<br><br>
</font><font face="Verdana" size=6 color="#990000">T</font>
<font face="Verdana" size=2>his Sunday at 4pm, I am proud to be speaking
at an event in San Francisco called a "Civil Rights Slam for
Justice," sponsored by among others the Campaign to End the Death
Penalty. The slam will be at the Malcolm X school at 350 Harbor Street.
In addition to myself and a crew of young artists, activists and poets,
speakers will include an NBA basketball player by the name of Etan
Thomas.<br><br>
Regular readers of this column know that I'm not exactly shy about
singing the praises of the Washington Wizards forward. Etan plays a
gritty, elbows-up style of basketball, but on a microphone he is pure
Jordan. In the tradition of Amiri Baraka, his poems are sharp enough to
cut glass, and generous enough to leave seedlings that can sprout in the
cracks. <br><br>
I first heard about Etan's political poetry when a rumor started going
around Washington DC that this rather gigantic gentleman with dreads was
going to U street coffee houses reading anti-death penalty, anti-racist
verse in front of a crowd you could fit in a van. Since then Etan has
risen to every occasion, speaking out at last September's anti-war rally,
speaking out against the mistreatment of Katrina refugees, speaking out
against the execution of Stan Tookie Williams, and speaking out through a
published book of verse fittingly enough called
"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0965830896/counterpunchmaga">
More Than An Athlete</a>" [Moore Black Press].<br><br>
Right here, for the first time, Death Row speaks back to Etan Thomas.
This comes in the form of a letter from Illinois Death Row prisoner
Stanley Howard. Stanley, always organizing, typed his message to Etan on
the back of a fact sheet that explains his case. Here his letter is
republished with permission from both Stanley and Etan.<br><br>
I pass on Stanley Howard's letter so folks can see that athletes don't
take political stands for their own amusement or ego, but to be part of
something larger than themselves. I also pass it on to demonstrate how a
prisoner on death row has as much a capacity to inspire as any
jock.<br><br>
See you in the Bay Area, <br><br>
Dave Zirin <br><br>
</font>
<dl>
<dd>Dear Brother Etan Thomas:<br><br>
<dd>My name is Stanley Howard, and I'm currently incarcerated at the
world famous Stateville Correctional Center/Warehouse in Joliet,
Illinois. <br><br>
<dd>I'm a 43 year old Black poor man from Chicago who has spent the last
22 years kidnapped by this unmerciful system -- 16 of those years were
spent trying to stop the State of Illinois from lynching me on Death
Row.<br><br>
<dd>I'm no longer suffering on Death Row (fighting yet another wrongful
conviction), but my heart is still in the struggle to end the Death
Penalty because I can still hear the cries for justice and understanding
loud and clear in my ears.<br><br>
<dd>I've recently heard about your upcoming scheduled appearance at a
Campaign to End the Death Penalty ("CEDP") event, and I just
wanted to send these words of thanks to show my sincere
appreciation.<br><br>
<dd>I've heard so much about your activism against classism, racism and
this unjust system and government, and you'll be surprised to know that
you're a great inspiration to many of the guys behind this 30-foot wall.
Because like the title of your book says, you're "More Than an
Athlete."<br><br>
<dd>I was on Death Row when it seemed like nobody cared what happened to
Death Row prisoners, and worthless politicians were climbing on top of
each other to pass laws and rules designed to make it easier to be sent
to Death Row; harder to get off; and, faster to execute. They caused 100s
to be executed during this time period trying to prove they were not soft
on crime.<br><br>
<dd>They were able to kill all these people (some of which had to be
innocent, like me), even though we had many well established groups and
organizations fighting to abolish the Death Penalty.<br><br>
<dd>Everything began to change with the bold and aggressive grassroots
efforts of the CEDP, because they consist of everyday people whose not
sitting behind desks pushing paper, but out on the streets organizing,
educating, protesting and agitating the so called Powers That Be.
Everyone on Death Row loves the CEDP, because they changed the face of
how this life saving movement is fought -- helping to put the Death
Penalty under the national spotlight; obtaining a Death Penalty
moratorium; highlighting many cases; and, convincing Gov. Ryan to empty
out Illinois' Death Row and granting my request for a pardon and three
other pardons.<br><br>
<dd>So on behalf of all the Brothers and Sisters still fighting to stop
from being lynched on Death Rows around the country, I thank you for
joining the struggle and helping to bring this madness to an
end.<br><br>
<dd>THEY SAY DEATH ROW -- WE SAY HELL NO!!!<br><br>
<dd>Thank You for being More Than an Athlete!!!<br><br>
<dd>Stanley J. Howard <br>
<dd>Reg. # N-71620 <br>
<dd>Stateville Correctional Center <br>
<dd>Route 53, P.O. Box 112 Joliet, IL 60434 <br><br>
<br>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
</dl><font size=3 color="#FF0000">The Freedom Archives<br>
522 Valencia Street<br>
San Francisco, CA 94110<br>
(415) 863-9977<br>
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