George jackson soledad brothers photo

American author and activist (1941–1971)

For other people named George Jackson, see George Jackson (disambiguation).

George Lester Jackson (September 23, 1941 – August 21, 1971) was an American author, revolutionary, and prisoner.

While serving an indeterminate sentence for stealing $70 at gunpoint from a gas station in 1961, Jackson became involved in the Black power movement and co-founded the prison gangBlack Guerrilla Family.^[3]

In 1970, he was one of three prisoners known as Soledad Brothers, charged with the murder of correctional officer John Vincent Mills in the aftermath of a prison fight.

The same year, he published Soledad Brother: The Prison Letters of George Jackson, a combination of autobiography and manifesto addressed to an African-American audience. The book became a bestseller and earned Jackson personal fame.

Jackson was killed by prison guards in 1971, during an escape attempt in which three prison guards and two in