Black Power activist Jamil Al-Amin death dies in federal prison hospital at 82 years old

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Controversial civil rights activist H. Rap Brown — who was convicted of killing a Fulton County sheriff’s deputy in 2000 — has died in prison.

“Everywhere he was, he was a positive influence. He was a leader,” said Mawuli Davis, an attorney on the legal team representing civil rights activist Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin. “He didn’t turn that off because he was incarcerated.”

Brown, born Hubert G. Brown in 1943 and who later took the name Jamil Abdullah Al‑Amin, died Sunday at the Federal Medical Center hospital in Butner, North Carolina.

No cause of death has been released.

Davis said that Al-Amin had been battling stage four cancer, and said his health had declined.

Brown was a chair in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the Mississippi Freedom Summer. He became known for his fiery speeches advocating for “Black power.” In 1976, he succeeded Stokely Carmichael as head of the committee. Brown was also a prominent figure in the Black Panther party.

Becoming widely known as H. Rap Brown, some of his speeches’ most famous lines included, “Violence is as American as cherry pie,” and “If America don’t come around, we’re gonna burn it down.”

“He was clear,” Davis said. “And that was something that needed to be said, and it continues to be said in many ways he was ahead of his time in terms of really exposing the level of state violence that happens within predominantly Black and poor communities.”

Brown converted to Islam in the 1970s and took the name Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin. Later, he became a mosque leader and community activist in Atlanta. He also opened his own grocery store.

“The family and the legal team have been getting phone calls from all over the world. He was respected as a leader in the Muslim community. He was iconic,” Davis said.

But on March 16, 2000, Fulton County deputies Ricky Kinchen and Aldranon English were serving a warrant on Brown’s home. Later that evening, they attempted a traffic stop of a white Mercedes near Brown’s grocery store when the vehicle’s occupant opened fire. Kinchen was killed and English was wounded.

English identified Brown at trial as the shooter, and later testified the shooter was the only person he saw fire at the patrol car. Brown was later arrested in White Hall, Alabama.

Prosecutors tied guns and bullet damage to the Mercedes to Brown. Defense attorneys argued fingerprints were not found on the murder weapon and Brown showed no signs of gunshot wounds at arrest, contradicting testimony he had been shot during capture.

The attorney at the time also claimed he had been under FBI surveillance for decades.

His name “H Rap Brown” appeared in FBI memos from 1967 and 1968, as provided to Atlanta News First.

“They were told to be creative, to do whatever they could to disrupt and prevent a leader like him because he was charismatic, he was intelligent, and he was committed to social justice and to human rights,” Davis said. “Not just in the memos, because remember, we’re talking about COINTELPRO, the 1960s, it never stopped.”

Brown was held in a series of federal facilities, including high-security units. He was later transferred to federal medical custody as his health declined.

“On behalf of our entire family, I thank every single person who prayed, stood, marched, researched, wrote, advocated, and fought to clear my father’s name,” said Kairi Al-Amin, Brown’s son. “Your love sustained us. Your belief in his innocence strengthened us.”

In May 2025, Davis Bozeman Johnson Law, the Innocence Project, and the Law Office of Maha A. Elkolalli jointly filed an extraordinary motion for new trial.

Davis said Al-Amin continued to maintain his innocence.

“We entered the case earlier this year and helped prepare a motion that, tragically, was not heard in time,” Davis said. “After reviewing the documents and evidence, it became overwhelmingly clear to our firm that Imam Jamil Al-Amin did not receive a fair trial.”

Brown’s family and attorneys cited a ruling from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals that criticized some aspects of the prosecution’s case.

“We regret that we cannot provide Mr. Al-Amin the relief he seeks, even though we conclude the State’s questioning of the defendant in its closing argument violated his Fifth Amendment right not to testify, and that the violation was serious and repeated,” read the court’s ruling.

“This is no disrespect to the deceased deputy or the injured deputy,” Davis said. “He always extended his deepest condolences and concerns, but the way that he was targeted, the way that he was continually surveilled, that is undeniable, and because of that, we just believe that if a person did not receive a fair trial, they shouldn’t die in jail. They shouldn’t die in prison.”

The Council for Islamic Relations (CAIR) Georgia chapter extends their condolences to Al-Amin’s family in a statement. CAIR is also calling for a case review by the Fulton County District Attorney.

“He was a part of history. He will ever, forever be a part of history. And it’s our hope that we can clarify the record as it relates to his conviction,” Davis said.

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