Imam Jamil Diagnosed: Smoldering Myeloma, Sjogren’s Syndrome

UPDATE:  MONDAY, October 5, 2015

​Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, formerly known in the 1960s to the public as H. Rap Brown when he was chairperson of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), has been serving a sentence in federal custody of life without the possibility of parole imposed in 2002 by a Georgia Court.  After spending five years in Administrative Detention i.e., Solitary Confinement, at a maximum security Georgia prison.  The Georgia Department of Corrections determined that a solidarity movement initiated by Muslim inmates to elect Imam Al-Amin as the leader of Muslim inmates was a threat to the security of the Georgia prison system.  On August 1, 2007, with no federal charges or convictions, the Georgia Department of Corrections turned Imam Al-Amin over to the Federal Bureau of Prisons where he was immediately transferred to the Supermax ADX USP in Florence, Colorado (The New Alcatraz), and confined to a cell seven-stories below ground, without fresh air, sunlight or interaction with other human beings (Sensory Deprivation) for SEVEN YEARS. 
 
In 2013, Imam Al-Amin (H. Rap Brown) began to experience symptoms of declining health.  He languished in a cell while his requests for medical attention were ignored by the ADX medical staff.  Finally, with the intervention of family members, attorneys, The Jericho Movement (JERICO), Congressional Black Caucus members, human rights activists, The Imam Jamil Action Network (IJAN) and other organizations, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) conducted medical tests in June 2014.  After further public pressure and urging the FBOP to stop the “Execution By Medical Neglect” of Imam Al-Amin, he was moved on July 15, 2014 from the Florence Supermax prison to the Federal Medical Center, in Butner, North Carolina.
 
On July 23, 2014, at the Butner FMC, after a bone marrow biopsy, findings confirmed that Imam Al-Amin (H. Rap Brown) had Smoldering Myeloma, an intermediate pre-cursor stage of Multiple Myeloma, cancer of the plasma cells.  After a three-month stay at the Medical Center, Imam Al-Amin was moved to the USP Canaan Federal Penitentiary, in Waymart, Pennsylvania, where he was placed in general population.  After 14 years of incarceration consisting of Administrative Detention i.e., Solitary Confinement, Imam Al-Amin finally was able to attend religious services and programs.
 
In addition to having Smoldering Myeloma, he is suffering from Sjogren’s Syndrome.  Visitors recently have confirmed that he continues to suffer severe pain, swollen jaws and other symptoms, including swollen ankles, skin discoloration, dry eyes and dry mouth.