(PHOTO: Albert Woodfox at a meeting of VOTE-Shreveport on October 21. Albert is standing in the back row, sixth person from the right. Click on the photo for a larger image).
A3 Newsletter, Nov. 18, 2017:
On The Road Again
As another year draws to a close, Albert and King are busier than ever traveling the country and the world, sharing their stories and providing inspiration and hope that good things can happen in this horribly broken criminal justice system.
Next week they'll be heading to Belgium and Germany to work with their friends at Amnesty on launching another Write for Rights Campaign.
It's been a whirlwind of a year for the guys that began with trips to San Francisco to speak at the Exploratorium and UCSF Psychology Dept., then to Toronto and Montreal before heading to Denmark and Sweden, the premiere of their film, Cruel and Unusual in NYC and Los Angeles and a myriad of other events across the county to support multiple efforts. We look forward to wrapping up the year with A3 supporters next month with a report back from their European tour.
One of the most difficult things that Albert has had to deal with since his release is the many, many requests he receives from prisoners for assistance. As A3 supporters know, success in this effort took over 20 years to achieve, with hundreds of individuals using all their creativity and energy and resources to draw attention to this case, not to mention a rafter of skilled lawyers and investigators. It is heart breaking for Albert to receive letter after letter from prisoners and their families and friends who share their stories of abuse and denial of rights inside and to have so little one can offer as help.
We recall several years ago reading about a wrongfully convicted prisoner who wrote ten letters every day for the 14 years he was incarcerated to lawyers and organizations before he reached someone who heard his story, agreed to help and he was released. There are no silver bullets and no straight path towards justice, just lots of hard work, searching for legal assistance, a committed support group and some lucky breaks seem to be the only advice we can pass on.
We're so grateful that Albert is finally free and that he and Robert are able to enjoy their lives out here in minimum security with family and friends. However, as wonderful as it is to have come this far and to have both Albert and Robert free, justice was not served in this case. Freedom is the consolation prize that has committed them to keep on working for the freedom of others.
