Martin Sostre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Martin Sostre
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Painting of Martin Sostre by Jerry Ross
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| Born | March 20, 1923 |
| Died | August 12, 2015 (aged 92) |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Activism, being falsely imprisoned |
Martin Ramirez Sostre (born March 20, 1923 – died August 12, 2015) was an American activist. He is remembered for his important work in the movement for prisoners' rights.
Contents
Martin Sostre's Early Life and Activism
Martin Sostre spent time in Attica prison in the early 1960s. While there, he learned about many different ideas, including Black Muslimism, Black nationalism, and anarchism.
In 1966, Sostre opened the first Afro-Asian Bookstore in Buffalo, New York. This bookstore became a special place for new and radical ideas in Buffalo's Black community. Sostre explained his dream for the store:
I taught continually - giving out pamphlets free to those who had no money. I let them sit and read for hours in the store. Some would come back every day and read the same book until they finished it. This was the opportunity I had dreamed about - to be able to help my people by increasing the political awareness of the youth.
Fighting for Prisoner Rights
After being imprisoned, Sostre became a "jailhouse lawyer". This means he learned the law while in prison and helped other inmates with their legal cases. He won two very important legal cases about prisoner rights: Sostre v. Rockefeller and Sostre v. Otis.
These victories helped change how prisoners were treated. Sostre believed these decisions were a big step forward. They made it harder for authorities to treat prisoners unfairly.
Earlier, Sostre had already helped Black Muslim prisoners gain their religious rights. He also worked to stop some of the cruelest parts of solitary confinement in state prisons. Thanks to his efforts, rules about censoring inmates' mail, invasive body searches, and harsh solitary confinement were changed.
Becoming a Prisoner of Conscience
In December 1973, Amnesty International added Sostre to their "prisoner of conscience" list. This meant they believed he was imprisoned because of his political beliefs, not for any crimes. Many groups in New York State worked to free Martin Sostre. A special committee, made up of important citizens, also joined the effort.
On December 7, 1975, Russian Nobel Peace Laureate Andrei Sakharov supported the call for Sostre's release. New York Governor Hugh Carey granted Sostre clemency (a type of pardon) on Christmas Eve of 1975. Martin Sostre was finally released from prison in February 1976.
Martin Sostre passed away on August 12, 2015.
Martin Sostre's Legacy
Martin Sostre's work inspired many people. For example, Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin said that Sostre was why he first became interested in anarchism.
In 1974, Pacific Street Films released a documentary film about Sostre called Frame-up! The Imprisonment of Martin Sostre. The film shared details about his case and included interviews from prison.
In November 2017, the Frank E. Merriweather Jr. Library held an event called To and From 1967: A Rebellion with Martin Sostre. This event remembered the 50th anniversary of a Black rebellion in Buffalo. It included an art display called Reviving Sostre. This display had three bookshelves painted by local artists. They were placed in the library, which was built where one of Sostre's bookstores used to be.
Mariam Kabe has also written a valuable article about Martin Sostre's contributions.
See also
- Anarcho-communism
- Civil rights
- Libertarian socialism
