I Rise in Fire: Jamil Al-Amin, aka H. Rap Brown...

[Bilal Mahmud المكافح المخلص]

I Rise in Fire: Jamil Al-Amin, aka H. Rap Brown... Click the link above to hear a brief description of this page... Writing this biography has been a long journey. For years, the Federal Bureau of Prisons prevented me from interviewing Imam Jamil in the Tucson prison where he was incarcerated. They only relented after lawyers at Cornell Law School and Arizona State University prepared to go to court on my behalf. Eventually, I was able to spend around twelve hours speaking with Imam Jamil – interviews which form the backbone of the book. I also spoke with around fifty of his friends and associates, and accessed tens of thousands of pages of declassified FBI, CIA, and police files. Pre Order:   Biography Imam Jamil Al Amin Abdullah

That research showed how Imam Jamil's gripping, pivotal life story – from civil rights activist who served as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee to the leader of a major Islamic organization in the 1990s – reshapes our understanding of the War on Drugs, the War on Terror, and what happened to the radicalism of the 1960s. From his youth in Louisiana to his dangerous organizing in Alabama to his time in Tanzania on the run from the CIA and the FBI, Jamil Al-Amin led a remarkable life of car chases, shootouts, manhunts, and run-ins with the mafia. A household name in the late 1960s and a major reason why rap music is called rap music, Rap Brown should be as well-known as Stokely Carmichael, Fred Hampton, and Huey Newton. But he was largely forgotten by the end of the twentieth century. Incarcerated from 2000 until his death in 2025, he suffered a combination of historical erasure and demonization. In I Rise in Fire, I resurface the life of this once-iconic figure, shedding light on Al-Amin’s key role in the Black Power movement, the protest at the 1968 Summer Olympics, his pioneering of solidarity with the Palestinian cause, and his efforts to rid Black neighborhoods of drugs. I also expose the various government initiatives, from COINTELPRO to counter-terrorism programs, that attempted to curtail him, culminating in his wrongful imprisonment. In our time of ever increasing political repression and surveillance, I hope I Rise in Fire will be a reminder that the radical politics of the 1960s represented one moment in a much longer struggle for freedom and justice—which continues to this day. The man who once declared “violence is as American as cherry pie” is as relevant as ever. “Think you know Black Power? Arun Kundnani has written an absolute must-read. Taking us from the civil rights movement in Louisiana to the global War On Terror, Kundnani’s biography expands our understanding of the struggle for Black Power and the US government’s attempts to thwart it in the 20th and 21st centuries. Rigorously researched and powerful written, this is history writing at its best. Don’t miss this book!” Jeanne Theoharis, author of King of the North and A More Beautiful and Terrible History “The outsized myth of H. Rap Brown has been the greatest obstacle to knowing the man, Hubert Brown/Jamil al-Amin, the world that made him, and the world he tried to change. Thankfully, Arun Kundnani’s dogged search for the truth has uncovered not only a brilliant unsung revolutionary but a revolution.” Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Making a Killing: Capitalism, Cops, and the War on Black Life “Arun Kundnani has brought to life the story of a man, and a time, that has shaped modern America. I Rise in Fire is meticulously researched and richly detailed, criss-crossing the country’s north and south as it follows Jamil Al-Amin’s journey through tumultuous decades in US history. In this gripping and important tale, Kundnani traces the long and quiet influence of one man on generations of activists, and challenges us to think about what could have been.” Rozina Ali, author of Seasons of Fury "With impeccable scholarship and righteous moral fire, Arun Kundnani's I Rise in Fire revisits the life, tribulations, and legacy of Jamil Al-Amin to expose America’s continued unwillingness to confront and reform its corrupt criminal justice system and addiction to white supremacy." Wajahat Ali, author of Go Back to Where You Came From If you're reading this newsletter, it's probably because you opted in on my website. But if someone forwarded it to you and you want to subscribe yourself, please click here. There's always a chance that these emails land somewhere they're not wanted, in which case I apologize - please use the Unsubscribe link below to let the software know that you don't want to receive the newsletter again. Pre Order:   Biography Imam Jamil Al Amin Abdullah Peace, Arun

[Bilal Mahmud المكافح المخلص]

Kofi Bilal Mahmud Eid AlFitr 1443 A.H.

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Kofi Bilal Mahmud

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