Episode 61: August 21, 1971

August 21, 1971 was the deadliest day in San Quentin history, and it’s still a painful topic, both inside the prison and out. At the center of the story was a Black revolutionary named George Jackson. Who was he, and what makes him so controversial, even today?

Thanks to Kenneth Oliver, John Clutchette, Gerard Trent Jr., Robert Ayers, Watani Stiner, Lt. Sam Robinson, and Paul Redd.

Thanks to everybody out on the San Quentin yard we asked about George Jackson: Jahad Muhammad, Cash Beverly, Diontae Wright, Trevor Woods, Lamavis Cho, Brandon Browner, Darwin Billingsly, Scott McKinstry, Ricardo Romaro, Alex Ross, and DeAngelo Prince.

Thanks also to Gregory Morris, Angela Davis, Joshua Shabazz, Sam Lewis, and Keith Allen Davis, who also talked to us for this episode.

Thanks to Claude and Nathaniel at the Freedom Archives in San Francisco. They consulted with us at various points during this project, and provided the archival tape of George Jackson speaking. Check out the project they did for the 50th anniversary of Jackson’s death, 99 Books.

This episode was scored with music by Antwan Williams, Rhashiyd Zinnamon, and David Jassy.

As always, big thanks to Lt. Sam Robinson and Warden Ron Broomfield for their support of the show.

You can pre-order Nigel and Earlonne’s book, This Is Ear Hustle, at thisisearhustlebook.com.

Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

You can download the episode here and find the transcript here.

More on George Jackson and the Adjustment Center incident:
Freedom Archives’ 99 Books project
50th anniversary article by Kevin Sawyer, an editor at the San Quentin News
“Soledad Brother” 40 years later
“Day of the Gun” documentary from Bay Area news station KRON4
Making Contact’s radio documentary “The Struggle Inside”
New York Times narrative of August 21st
Los Angeles Times looks back at the day and the trial of the San Quentin Six
British documentary about the weeks after August 21, 1971
Dick Nelson remembers August 21, 1971