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Answering to Martin Sostre’s

Answering to Martin Sostre’s Ghost Stephen Wilson
This essay was first published by Black Agenda Report February 1, 2023 https:liwww.blackagen host About the author: Stephen Wilson is a queer Black writer, ectivist, and student who is currently imprisoned in PA-DOC. He is a founding member of Dreaming Freedom ®racticirg Abolition, a network of self organized prisoner study grcups building abcitionist community behind and across prison walls.
Answering to Martin Sostre’s Ghost rior to my incarceration, | had never heard of f Marlin Sostre. Despite his being one of the most well-known prisoners in the US during the early 1970s and being the first US political prisoner to have his case adopted by Amnesty International, he was unknown to me. Ard most imorisoned people today. This should not be. As Lorenzo Korn'boa Ervin, former political prisoner and mentee of Martin Sostre wrote: “He almost singlehandedly won democratic rights for prisoners to receive and read revolutionary literature; write books; worship alternative faiths: to not he rairoaded in unfar ciscplinary hearings and held incefinitely 1n solitary confinement; and to have cultural studies programs.” As a currently incarcerated prison (dis)organizer and abolitionist who is deeply involved in political education and mutual aid work, | have benefited greatly from the struggles Martin spearheaded, the baitles he fought and the victeries he achioved
My first encounter with Martin was via a zne: The Prison Letters of Mertin Sostre. After reading this zine, | was angry and disappointed that | had never heerd of him before. But mere importantly, | was inspired. | fourd a role model, someone who nad effectively organized and built. community oehind the walls. Martin was a praciiliover, a person of action. He lived his theories, correcting trem as he waked. This fact is not only an inspiration, but also a challenge As my krowledge of his work and life ncreases, my abilities anc capacities as a (dis)organizer de too. Martin has taught me to always be a student, 2 noticer. His continued apenness to change and growth significantly impacts my praxis. He was never dogmatic. Throughout his life, he embraced different philosophes, imbibing what was beneficial to the strugg e and discarding wnat wasn't. He had been a member of the NOI, a Black nationalist, and anarchist, and remained a practitioner of yoga. Like another inspiring Black political prisoner, Russell Maroon Shoatz, Martin taught me to reman tumble, to never believe | have it all figured out. He taught
me to always be @ student. This is how cne remains open to growth. Along with always being 2 student, Martin has shown me how to be a good noticer. He has shown me how to enter a community, finc out what is going on, what the people need, what they want and how they are currently meeting those needs and wants. He taugnt me to look around and take in the scene before diving into the work. Too often, organizers enter communities believing they already know the problems and solutions. They create top-down solutions and don't listen to the people. Martin has taught me that we must put the people first. Get to know them. Listen to them. Take direction from them. We are there to assist, to empower the people. He taught me the value of noticing and learning from the people. This lesson hes made my work more impactiul and effective. Another lesson Martin has taught me is to make things easy for the people. The populations we are building with are often struggling :o survive, struggling to make ends meet. When Martin opened his bookstore in Buffalo, he created a space for people to learn and build community, Money wasn't
an issue for the people. They would sit for hous and read without purchasing materials. He made sure the materials were accessible and provided a learning space. All cne had to do was show up. He made political education easy for the people. | try to do the same. The most impactful lesson Martin taught me was the power of collectivity, the importance of community. He knew that our strength was n our relationships. Wherever he was, whether in general population or solitary confinement, Buffalo or New Jersey, he was always building community. He was continually reaching out and bringing people in. He knew, like J. Sakai said. you can be the best firefighter in the world, but you cannot put out the fire alone. It was the strength of his relationships that won his freedom. He created community on both sdes of the walls. None of us will singularly create a world we can all thrive in, As Audre Lorde wrote, "Without community, there is no liberation.” Each day, | have to answer to Martin's ghost. | have to ask myself if what | am doing would make him proud. As | said before, Martin was a practitioner, a person of action. He knew that
revolution isn't something you feel, it is something you do. | hear him asking me: What are you doing? A maior part of my work is extending his legacy. And the best way to do that is to practice what he has taught me, being an example for future revolutionaries. Stephen Wilson February 2023 SCl-Fayette
Martin Sostre (1923-2015) was a political prisoner, jailhouse lawyer, and Black anarchist of Puerto Rican descent. After being released from prison, he opened a radical Afro-Asian Book Shop in Buffalo, NY, which was later raided by the FBI, State troopers, and the police. He has been an inspiration to many current and formerly incarcerated individuals involved in revolutionary organizing. This year marks the 100-year commemoration of his birth.

quiq siy 40 WOHEJOWIBUIIOD Jeah-991 a4) syieW 4esf siy, ‘BulzueBio Areuonnjones ut PEAOAUI S/enpIAIpUI pazyesooseoU) Apeusoy pue Juang Auew 0} uopeudsul ue ueeq Sey aL ‘aay0d ayy) pue ‘suodoon aje}s ‘Id4 84) Aq pape s9ye) sem yorum AN ‘o1e4Ng UI doys yoog uelsy-oyy feoipes ® pauado ay ‘uosud WO4 pasesje: Bulag 49iy JUBdsap UeDKY OLeNg Jo jsIYQIeUR 4OB/G pue ‘iene; esnoyyrel ‘ieuosyid Jeomjod e sem (¢102-Ez6L) a4s0g umeyy Ee eh ae ot LFA 4 Aor Uy


Answering to
Martin Sostre’s




Answering to
Martin Sostre’s
Ghost

Stephen Wilson
This essay was first published by Black Agenda Report
February 1, 2023

https:liwww.blackagen



host

About the author:

Stephen Wilson is a queer Black writer, ectivist, and student who
is currently imprisoned in PA-DOC. He is a founding member of
Dreaming Freedom ®racticirg Abolition, a network of self
organized prisoner study grcups building abcitionist community
behind and across prison walls.
Answering to
Martin Sostre’s Ghost

rior to my incarceration, | had never heard of
f Marlin Sostre. Despite his being one of the

most well-known prisoners in the US during
the early 1970s and being the first US political
prisoner to have his case adopted by Amnesty
International, he was unknown to me. Ard most
imorisoned people today. This should not be. As
Lorenzo Korn'boa Ervin, former political prisoner and
mentee of Martin Sostre wrote: “He almost
singlehandedly won democratic rights for prisoners
to receive and read revolutionary literature; write
books; worship alternative faiths: to not he
rairoaded in unfar ciscplinary hearings and held
incefinitely 1n solitary confinement; and to have
cultural studies programs.” As a currently
incarcerated prison (dis)organizer and abolitionist
who is deeply involved in political education and
mutual aid work, | have benefited greatly from the
struggles Martin spearheaded, the baitles he fought
and the victeries he achioved
My first encounter with Martin was via a zne:
The Prison Letters of Mertin Sostre. After reading
this zine, | was angry and disappointed that | had
never heerd of him before. But mere importantly, |
was inspired. | fourd a role model, someone who
nad effectively organized and built. community
oehind the walls. Martin was a praciiliover, a person
of action. He lived his theories, correcting trem as
he waked. This fact is not only an inspiration, but
also a challenge

As my krowledge of his work and life ncreases,
my abilities anc capacities as a (dis)organizer de
too. Martin has taught me to always be a student, 2
noticer. His continued apenness to change and
growth significantly impacts my praxis. He was never
dogmatic. Throughout his life, he embraced different
philosophes, imbibing what was beneficial to the
strugg e and discarding wnat wasn't. He had been a
member of the NOI, a Black nationalist, and
anarchist, and remained a practitioner of yoga. Like
another inspiring Black political prisoner, Russell
Maroon Shoatz, Martin taught me to reman tumble,
to never believe | have it all figured out. He taught
me to always be @ student. This is how cne remains
open to growth.

Along with always being 2 student, Martin has
shown me how to be a good noticer. He has shown
me how to enter a community, finc out what is going
on, what the people need, what they want and how
they are currently meeting those needs and wants.
He taugnt me to look around and take in the scene
before diving into the work. Too often, organizers
enter communities believing they already know the
problems and solutions. They create top-down
solutions and don't listen to the people. Martin has
taught me that we must put the people first. Get to
know them. Listen to them. Take direction from
them. We are there to assist, to empower the
people. He taught me the value of noticing and
learning from the people. This lesson hes made my
work more impactiul and effective.

Another lesson Martin has taught me is to make
things easy for the people. The populations we are
building with are often struggling :o survive,
struggling to make ends meet. When Martin opened
his bookstore in Buffalo, he created a space for
people to learn and build community, Money wasn't
an issue for the people. They would sit for hous and
read without purchasing materials. He made sure
the materials were accessible and provided a
learning space. All cne had to do was show up. He
made political education easy for the people. | try to
do the same.

The most impactful lesson Martin taught me was
the power of collectivity, the importance of
community. He knew that our strength was n our
relationships. Wherever he was, whether in general
population or solitary confinement, Buffalo or New
Jersey, he was always building community. He was
continually reaching out and bringing people in. He
knew, like J. Sakai said. you can be the best
firefighter in the world, but you cannot put out the fire
alone. It was the strength of his relationships that
won his freedom. He created community on both
sdes of the walls. None of us will singularly create a
world we can all thrive in, As Audre Lorde wrote,
"Without community, there is no liberation.”

Each day, | have to answer to Martin's ghost. |
have to ask myself if what | am doing would make
him proud. As | said before, Martin was a
practitioner, a person of action. He knew that
revolution isn't something you feel, it is something
you do. | hear him asking me: What are you doing?
A maior part of my work is extending his legacy. And
the best way to do that is to practice what he has
taught me, being an example for future
revolutionaries.

Stephen Wilson
February 2023
SCl-Fayette
Martin Sostre (1923-2015) was a political
prisoner, jailhouse lawyer, and Black
anarchist of Puerto Rican descent. After
being released from prison, he opened a
radical Afro-Asian Book Shop in Buffalo,
NY, which was later raided by the FBI,
State troopers, and the police. He has
been an inspiration to many current and
formerly incarcerated individuals involved
in revolutionary organizing. This year
marks the 100-year commemoration of
his birth.
quiq siy

40 WOHEJOWIBUIIOD Jeah-991 a4) syieW
4esf siy, ‘BulzueBio Areuonnjones ut
PEAOAUI S/enpIAIpUI pazyesooseoU) Apeusoy
pue Juang Auew 0} uopeudsul ue ueeq

Sey aL ‘aay0d ayy) pue ‘suodoon aje}s
‘Id4 84) Aq pape s9ye) sem yorum AN
‘o1e4Ng UI doys yoog uelsy-oyy feoipes
® pauado ay ‘uosud WO4 pasesje: Bulag
49iy JUBdsap UeDKY OLeNg Jo jsIYQIeUR
4OB/G pue ‘iene; esnoyyrel ‘ieuosyid
Jeomjod e sem (¢102-Ez6L) a4s0g umeyy
Ee eh ae

ot
LFA 4 Aor Uy