Marilyn Jean Buck (December 13, 1947 – August 3, 2010) was an American
Marxist and
feminist poet who was imprisoned for her participation in the 1979
prison escape of
Assata Shakur, the
1981 Brink's robbery and the
1983 U.S. Senate bombing. Buck received an 80-year sentence, which she served in federal prison, from where she published numerous articles and other texts. She was released on July 15, 2010, less than a month before her death at age 62 from cancer.
Early life and education
Buck was born December 13, 1947 in
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States. A small part of Midland is in Martin County.
At the 2020 census, Midland's population was 132,524. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas metropolitan ...
,
the daughter of Louis Buck, an Episcopal minister. Her mother was a nurse; both are deceased. The family was active in the
civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...
; when Dr. Buck opposed segregation at St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Austin, Texas, picketed, and harshly criticized the bishop, crosses were burned on their lawn and he was removed as minister from the congregation of St. James in Austin, Texas, a congregation which had been integrated by the previous clergyman and his family. Dr. Buck returned to his veterinarian career, from which he had entered the clergy, to support his family.
Buck attended the
University of California at Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant uni ...
and the
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
, graduating from
New College of California
New College of California was a college founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1971 by former Gonzaga University President John Leary. It ceased operations in early 2008.
New College's main campus was housed in several buildings in the Miss ...
while incarcerated. She subsequently earned a master's degree in Poetics from New College.
1960s and 70s activism
At the
University of Texas
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
, Buck was involved in
organizing against the Vietnam War, as well as
anti-racist activities.
She joined
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and worked with Austin's
underground newspaper, ''
The Rag''. In 1967, Buck moved to Chicago where she edited SDS' ''New Left Notes'' and attended an SDS teacher-organizer school. With other SDS women she helped to incorporate
women's liberation into the organization's politics. She subsequently returned to San Francisco where she worked with
Third World Newsreel in outreach in support of
Native American and
Palestinian sovereignty and against U.S. intervention in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...
and
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...
and in solidarity with the
Black liberation movement. With colleague Karen Ross, she explained their practice: "We stop people on the street, and confront them with our films. Involve them as participants. It has come to them during a walk down the street, they’ve stumbled upon it. They have been confronted. The decision to watch, to register disgust or interest is now theirs. To those inquisitive, we explain more."
In 1973, Buck was convicted on two counts of purchasing (otherwise legal)
ammunition
Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weapo ...
using false identification and sentenced to ten years in prison. In 1977 Buck was given a
furlough from prison and went underground instead of returning.
Support for the New Afrikan Independence Movement
In 1979,
Assata Shakur, who had been convicted of killing a policeman, escaped from a New Jersey prison with help from a number of associates outside. In 1983, Buck was recaptured and convicted of participating in Shakur's escape.
[ones, Charles Earl. (1998). ''The Black Panther Party (reconsidered)''. Black Classic Press. ., p. 425.]
Along with a number of BLA members and supporters, Buck was convicted of conspiracies to commit armed robbery in the
Brinks robbery of 1981 in which a guard and two police officers were killed. She allegedly drove the
getaway car as well as helping to obtain a
safe house
A safe house (also spelled safehouse) is, in a generic sense, a secret place for sanctuary or suitable to hide people from the law, hostile actors or actions, or from retribution, threats or perceived danger. It may also be a metaphor.
Histori ...
and weapons. During the investigation into the armed robbery and killings, investigators found weapons and papers
[The Brinks Robbery of 1981 - The Crime Library on truTV.com](_blank)
in an apartment in
East Orange,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...
rented by "Carol Durant", an alias of Buck.
Papers there led police to an address in
Mount Vernon, New York
Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the borough of the Bronx. As of the 2020 census, Mount Vernon had a population of 73,893, making it th ...
, where they found bloody clothing and ammunition belonging to Buck.
Earlier in 1981, Buck participated in a similar armed robbery of a Brinks truck in the
Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...
, during which one of the guards was murdered.
Resistance Conspiracy case
In 1985, Buck and six others were convicted in the
Resistance Conspiracy
The Resistance Conspiracy case (1988-1990) was a Federal Judicial trial in the United States in which six people were charged with the 1983 U.S. Senate bombing and related bombings of Fort McNair and the Washington Navy Yard: Marilyn Jean Buck, L ...
case, a series of bombings in protest of United States foreign policy in the Middle East and Central America.
The May 12, 1988,
indictment
An indictment ( ) is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that use the concept of felonies, the most serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that do not use the felonies concept often use that of an ...
described the goal of the conspiracy as being "to influence, change and protest policies and practices of the United States Government concerning various international and domestic matters through the use of violent and illegal means" and charged the seven with bombing the
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the Seat of government, seat of the Legislature, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is form ...
building, three military installations in the Washington, D.C., area, and four sites in New York City. Warnings were called in and no one was injured. The Capitol was targeted in retaliation for recent U.S. military invasions of
Grenada and
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
. The military sites bombed were the
National War College
The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active.
History
The National War Co ...
at Fort McNair, the Washington Navy Yard Computer Center, and the Washington Navy Yard Officers Club. In New York City, the Staten Island Federal Building, the Israeli Aircraft Industries Building, the
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...
n consulate, and the offices of the
Patrolmen's Benevolent Association were bombed or targeted.
Six of those charged in the case have since been released from prison and one was never captured.
Crimes, convictions, and sentences
1973: Illegal firearms purchase / gun runner for the Black Liberation Army. Received 10-year prison sentence.
1977: Escape / Interstate flight to avoid Prosecution. Absconded after furlough from a West Virginia federal prison.
1978: Armored Car robbery at the Livingston Mall; $200,000.
1979: Armored Car Robbery at Bamberger's in Paramus getaway driver; $105,000
1979: Aiding and Abetting escape/ Harboring a Fugitive JoAnne Chesimard's jailbreak; getaway driver.
1981 Brinks Armored Car Robbery/ murder of two police officers and a guard. Convicted in 1988- 50 year prison sentence
1981: Brinks Armored Car Robbery, Bronx / one guard killed; Convicted in 1988 - 50 year prison sentence.
1983: Terrorist Bombing of US Capital; Convicted, 10 year prison sentence
1983: Terrorist Bombing of National War College; Convicted, 10 year prison sentence
1984: Terrorist Bombing at Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C; Convicted, 10 year prison sentence
1984: Terrorist Bombing at South African Consulate in New York City; Convicted, 10 year prison sentence
1985: Captured
As an author
While in prison, Buck contributed articles on
women in prison,
solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which the inmate lives in a single cell with little or no meaningful contact with other people. A prison may enforce stricter measures to control contraband on a solitary prisoner and use addit ...
,
political prisoners and related issues to ''
Sojourners Magazine'', ''
Monthly Review
The ''Monthly Review'', established in 1949, is an independent socialist magazine published monthly in New York City. The publication is the longest continuously published socialist magazine in the United States.
History Establishment
Following ...
'', and other journals and anthologies.
She published her poetry in journals, anthologies, a
chapbook
A chapbook is a small publication of up to about 40 pages, sometimes bound with a saddle stitch.
In early modern Europe a chapbook was a type of printed street literature. Produced cheaply, chapbooks were commonly small, paper-covered bookl ...
, and an
audio CD. She received a
PEN American Center prize for poetry in 2001. Her poems appeared in the anthologies ''Hauling Up the Morning'', ''Wall Tappings'', ''Igniting a Revolution: Voices in Defense of the Earth'', ''Seeds of Fire'', and in her chapbook, ''Rescue the Word''. Her poems appear on the audio CD ''Wild Poppies'' (Freedom Archives 2004).
Her translations and introduction to
Cristina Peri Rossi's poetry appeared in ''State of Exile'', Number 58 in the
City Lights Pocket Poets Series.
[Peri Rossi, Cristina, translated with an introduction by Marilyn Buck. ''State of Exile''. Pocket Poets Number 58. San Francisco, California: City Lights, 2008. .]
Death
She died at home in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county in the State of New York, ...
on August 3, 2010, after a long battle with
uterine cancer
Uterine cancer, also known as womb cancer, includes two types of cancer that develop from the tissues of the uterus. Endometrial cancer forms from the lining of the uterus, and uterine sarcoma forms from the muscles or support tissue of the ute ...
, having been released from the
Federal Medical Center, Carswell due to her illness on July 15.
[Fox, Margalit]
"Marilyn Buck"
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', August 5, 2010. Accessed August 5, 2010.
References
Works
* Buck, Marilyn. 2002. ''Rescue the Word''. San Francisco, California: Friends Of Marilyn Buck.
* Buck, Marilyn. 2003. "The Struggle for Status under International Law U.S. Political Prisoners and The Political Offense Exception to Extradition" in Joy James, ed., ''Imprisoned Intellectuals: America's Political Prisoners Write on Life, Liberation, and Rebellion'' (Rowman & Littlefield, 2003, ). Retrieved fro
Political Prisoner Status under International Law by Marilyn Buckon May 1, 2010.
* Buck, Marilyn. 2004. "The U.S. Prison State". ''Monthly Review'' February. Retrieved fro
on March 20, 2008.
* Buck, Marilyn. 2008. Introduction and translation in Peri Rossi (2008).
* Buck, Marilyn,
Laura Whitehorn, and Susie Day. 2001. "An Interview with Marilyn Buck and Laura Whitehorn: Cruel But Not Unusual: The Punishment of Women in U.S. Prisons". Reprinted in the Wayland Faculty Seminar 2003–2004, Incarceration, Narrative, and Performance. Rhode Island: Brown University. Retrieved March 26, 2008 fro
Incarceration ... Narratives: Prison Interviews
* Freedom Archives, ed. 2004. ''Wild Poppies: A Poetry Jam Across Prison Walls – Poets And Musicians Honor Poet And Political Prisoner Marilyn Buck''. San Francisco, California: Freedom Archives. Audio CD. . Available as mp3 downloads a
Wild Poppies – Poetry by and with Marilyn Buck
* Buck, Marilyn. 2012. ''Inside/Out: Selected Poems''.
City Lights. .
External links
Marilyn Buck: Political Prisoner, Poet, Writer, Translator, Teacherfrom the Friends of Marilyn Buck
* Wizard, Mariann G
''The Rag Blog'', May 19, 2010
*
Dreyer, Thorne"Poet Marilyn Buck Freed After 25 Years in Prison,"''The Rag Blog'', July 19, 2010
Articles by and about Marilyn Buck at ''The Rag Blog''National Jericho Movement*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buck, Marilyn
1947 births
2010 deaths
American political activists
American anti-racism activists
American Marxists
American political writers
American translators
American women poets
American prisoners and detainees
Deaths from cancer in New York (state)
Deaths from uterine cancer
University of California, Berkeley alumni
University of Texas at Austin alumni
New College of California alumni
People from Temple, Texas
20th-century American poets
20th-century American women writers
20th-century translators
American women non-fiction writers