Caeciliusinhorto (talk | contribs) →Terrorism charges: As we have a source written 24 July reporting his arrest some days prior, he cannot possibly have been arrested on 25 July Tags: Reverted Mobile edit Mobile web edit Advanced mobile edit |
Nadya Hasan (talk | contribs) According to BLPs policy: Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page. Tags: Manual revert Reverted possible unreferenced addition to BLP Visual edit |
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{{Infobox person |
{{Infobox person |
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| name = Earnest James Ujaama |
| name = Earnest James Ujaama |
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| image = [[File:Earnest Ujaama at UW in his only interview ever.jpg|thumb|Earnest Ujaama interviewed by Rick Sallinger at U.W. Office of Minority Affairs in 2016]][[File:Earnest Ujaama walking with Rick Sallinger.jpg|thumb|Ujaama walking with reporter, Rick Sallinger at University of Washington in 2016]] |
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| native_name = |
| native_name = |
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| native_name_lang = ar |
| native_name_lang = ar |
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| other_names = |
| other_names = |
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* Abu Samayya |
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* Abdul Qaadir |
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| birth_name = James Earnest Thompson |
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| birth_place = [[Denver]], Colorado, U.S. |
| birth_place = [[Denver]], Colorado, U.S. |
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| education = {{Ubl |
| education = {{Ubl |
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| [[Bachelor of Arts|B.A.]] – [[University of Washington]] |
| [[Bachelor of Arts|B.A.]] – [[University of Washington]] |
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| [[Master of Arts|MA. Ed.]] – [[Antioch University]] |
| [[Master of Arts|MA. Ed.]] – [[Antioch University]] |
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| [[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D.]] - [[Walden University]] |
| [[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D.]] - [[Walden University]] |
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}} |
}} |
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| occupation = |
| occupation = |
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| known_for = |
| known_for = Social Justice, Human Rights activism, and critical of US criminal justice. |
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| website = {{URL|https://drujaama.com}} |
| website = {{URL|https://drujaama.com}} |
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}} |
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Earnest James Ujaama is a black-American Muslim and [[community activist]].<ref name="jamieson">{{Cite web |last=Jamieson |first=Robert L. |date=18 July 2002 |title=Real case against Ujaama yet to be made |url=https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Real-case-against-Ujaama-yet-to-be-made-1091537.php |access-date=2022-08-06 |website=seattlepi.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Ujaama was born James Earnest Thompson in Denver on December 14, 1965. |
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A long-term resident of Seattle and well-known community activist,<ref name="background">{{cite news |date=August 29, 2002 |title=From community activist to alleged terror conspirator |work=CNN Law Center |url=https://www.cnn.com/2002/LAW/08/29/ujaama.background/index.html}}</ref> Ujaama was arrested under terrorism charges in July 2002, the first American to be detained on U.S. soil while under investigation using the [[Patriot Act]].<ref name=":1" /> Amid conflicting reports and media coverage of the extent of his involvement in terrorist networks, he has since been convicted three times of various offences, in 2003, 2007, and 2015. |
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Earnest Ujaama has been an activist ever since he was a small boy and grew up under the protection and activism of the Black Panther Party. His mother was an activist and a federal government employee. In around 1992, Ujaama started the Be Your Own Boss, No Drugs, and No Gangs campaign to teach entrepreneurship in his neighborhood as an alternative to joining gangs and selling drugs. "Washington state lawmakers recognized his efforts by declaring June 10, 1994"<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/ujaama-case-comes-to-end-seattlepi.com-copy/page/n3/mode/2up |title=Ujaama Case Comes to an End |last=McGann |first=Chris |publisher=Internet Archive |date=February 23, 2004 |website=Internet Archive |access-date=October 29, 2023}}</ref>. On the same day, a representative from US Congressman James Bilbray flew into Seattle to welcome Ujaama to Las Vegas and present him with a Certificate of Special Recognition. A representative from US Senator Harry Reid's office did the same. Ujaama was also presented with a key to the City of Las Vegas and was honored by KCPQ 13 as a "Special Person." |
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Ujaama is known for his work in the 1980's to promote entrepreneurship, self-employment, and opportunities that were frequently denied to the Black community. During that time period, many young black men were being killed in gang violence in the height of the crack-cocaine pandemic. Ujaama wanted badly to do something about it. Ujaama grew up in the Central District of Seattle, often known as the colored district. He often spoke about systemic racism and the racism he faced. Ujaama wrote and published four books, among them was a book entitled, Coming Up. |
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Ujaama was born James Earnest Thompson in [[Denver]] in 1965,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Aaronson |first=Trevor |date=20 April 2017 |title=Terrorism Defendants With Concrete Ties to Violent Extremists Leverage Their Connections to Avoid Prison |url=https://theintercept.com/2017/04/20/terrorism-defendants-with-concrete-ties-to-violent-extremists-leverage-their-connections-to-avoid-prison/ |access-date=6 August 2022 |website=The Intercept |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Bernton |first1=Hal |last2=Carter |first2=Mike |date=21 December 2014 |title=Seattle man helped Brits find man tied to London terror plots |work=[[The Seattle Times]] |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattle-man-helped-brits-find-man-tied-to-london-terror-plots/ |access-date=6 August 2022}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> and moved to [[Seattle]] while still a child.<ref name=":1" /> He was born a [[Catholic]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Hirschkorn |first=Phil |title=The Terror Camp That Wasn't |url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/05/the-terror-camp-that-wasnt-106446 |access-date=2023-01-11 |website=POLITICO Magazine |date=May 7, 2014 |language=en}}</ref> His mother, Peggy Thompson, was a social worker at the Central Area Motivation Program.<ref name=":0" /> At the age of 9, Thompson began a business in [[Leaf rake|raking leaves]];<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=McDonnell |first=Patrick J. |date=2002-09-22 |title=The Entrepreneur Who Saw Road to Profit in Al Qaeda |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-sep-22-na-ujaama22-story.html |access-date=2023-01-11 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> at the age of 14, he started a business in [[home maintenance]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /> Thompson studied at [[Ingraham High School]]. Before he graduated from high school, he enrolled in the [[University of Washington]], but dropped out after two years.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /> |
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[[File:Earnest Ujaama entrepreneurship books.jpg|thumb|Earnest Ujaama's most popular books on entrepreneurship (1992-1994) and his novella, Coming Up (First published in 1995).]] |
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In the mid-1980s, Thompson moved to [[Pelican, Alaska]], where he worked at a seafood company.<ref name=":1" /> At age 22, Thompson bought and ran a computer store in the [[University District, Seattle|University District of Seattle]], renaming it Campus Computers. He sold it after six months.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Young, Gifted And Black -- 'Living Large' The Legal Way -- Entrepreneur, 25, Shares Tips On Business With Teen Gangs {{!}} The Seattle Times |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19910801&slug=1297593 |access-date=2023-01-11 |website=archive.seattletimes.com}}</ref> He worked for Olympic Computers selling [[IBM]] computers, but was accused of carrying out scams on his customers.<ref name=":1" /> |
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[[File:StopAmerica.org campaign by Earnest James Ujaama.png|thumb|Earnest Ujaama developed the www.StopAmerica.org website in 2002 to protest US Foreign Policy in the Middle East and Africa.]] |
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[[File:StopAmerica.org by Earnest Ujaama.png|thumb|The bottom half of the StopAmerica.org website created by Earnest Ujaama in 2002.]] |
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Thompson wrote the motivational book ''The Young People's Guide to Starting a Business Without Selling Drugs'' and the [[semi-autobiographical novel]] ''Coming Up''. He then moved to [[Los Angeles]] to try to make his novel into a movie, without success.<ref name=":1" /> |
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Ujaama converted to Islam in late 1996. Soon after, he traveled to London to study Islam under a Jamaican-born cleric named Abdullah al-Faisal. In 1998, Ujaama traveled to Afghanistan along with other Muslims from London to attend a jihad training camp in Afghanistan<ref>{{cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2002/LAW/11/13/ujaama.detention/index.html |title=The British security expert who faces questions on 'linksto al-Qaeda training'|publisher=CNN |date=November 13, 2002 |website=CNN |access-date=October 29, 2023}}</ref>.Ujaama began studying under Abu Hamza al-Masri not long after returning from Afghanistan<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/denver-native-talks-about-getting-tangled-in-the-war-on-terror/ |title=Denver Native Talks About Getting Tangled In the War On Terror |last=Sallinger |first=Rick |publisher=CBS News Colorado |date=May 25, 2016 |website=Encyclopedia of Things |access-date=October 29, 2023}}</ref>. |
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In 2001, Ujaama founded StopAmerica.org, an anti-US foreign policy and antiwar website that he worked on from Karachi, Pakistan<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/campaign-to-stop-american-foreign-policy-and-war |title=Campaign to Stop American Foreign Policy and War |publisher=[[Internet Archive: Digital Library]] |access-date=2023-10-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/stopamerica-org-by-ujaama/ |title=Stopamerica Org by Ujaama |publisher=[[Internet Archive: Digital Library]] |access-date=2023-10-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://inminds.com/boycott-news-0262.html/ |title=Denver Man Disappeared for Website Content |last=Brennan |first=Charlie |publisher=Rocky Mountain News |date=July 26, 2002 |website=Innovative Minds |access-date=October 29, 2023}}</ref>. On the website, Ujaama wrote: |
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In the early 1990s, Thompson changed his name to Earnest James Ujaama;<ref name=":3" /> he had followed his brother Mustafa Ujaama – born Jon Thompson – who had converted to Islam earlier while in the military.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="jamieson" /> |
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"Our campaign will not end until America's foreign policy has ended. We are Americans united against war. We want the killing to end, and America's foreign policymakers brought to justice for the attempted genocide of more than 500,000 innocent children in Iraq. America's foreign policymakers have brought hate to the people of the United States. We the people of the United States charge this government and their coalition with conspiracy to commit genocide and crimes of terrorism against Muslim people in our names. Founder's Message, E.J. Ujaama"<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/campaign-to-stop-american-foreign-policy-and-war |title=Campaign to Stop American Foreign Policy and War |publisher=[[Internet Archive: Digital Library]] |access-date=2023-10-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/stopamerica-org-by-ujaama/ |title=Stopamerica Org by Ujaama |publisher=[[Internet Archive: Digital Library]] |access-date=2023-10-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://inminds.com/boycott-news-0262.html/ |title=Denver Man Disappeared for Website Content |last=Brennan |first=Charlie |publisher=Rocky Mountain News |date=July 26, 2002 |website=Innovative Minds |access-date=October 29, 2023}}</ref>. |
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In 1993, Ujaama, funded by a grant from the city of Seattle, taught a class at [[Seattle Vocational Institute]].<ref name=":0" /> Ujaama was invited to speak at the 1994 [[NAACP]] convention in Chicago.<ref name=":3" /> On June 10, 1994, then-state representative [[Jesse Wineberry]] declared it to be "James Ujaama Day" in the state of Washington.<ref name="background" /> |
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In 2002, the government began targeting Muslims throughout the United States. Because of his work on Abu Hamza's Supporters of Shariah website and his StopAmerica.org website, Ujaama became a person of high interest. Learning that he was a target of a government investigation, Ujaama wrote an editorial saying, "My brother and I are not terrorists, and we should not have been charged in the media and harassed." He further wrote, |
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In late 1996, Ujaama returned to Seattle,<ref name=":1" /> where he converted to [[Islam]] circa 1997.<ref name=":0" /> Ujaama then moved to [[London]] and studied under Jamaican-born cleric [[Abdullah el-Faisal]].<ref name=":1" /> Moving between London and Seattle, Ujaama eventually started selling tapes of el-Faisal's sermons, but kept the proceeds.<ref name=":1" /> While in London, Ujaama married a Muslim woman from [[Somalia]].<ref name=":1" /> In late 1998, Ujaama spent two weeks in a [[jihad training camp]] in [[Afghanistan]].<ref name=":1" /> Ujaama later studied under [[Abu Hamza al-Masri]],<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> attending the [[Finsbury Mosque]].<ref name="background" /> |
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"This is surely a runaway government administration that I strongly believe knew about the events of September 11 prior to the attack on New York, and refused to intervene in lieu of economic and political gains. I also do not believe that Zacarious Moussaoui had anything to do with those events, and that he and many others are being railroaded in an attempt to cover up the truth." |
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In late 1999, Ujaama returned to the United States, where he learned about a ranch in [[Bly, Oregon]].<ref name=":1" /> That October, he traveled to the ranch, where he carried out firearm practice; he sent a fax to [[Abu Hamza al-Masri]] to promote this idea, but he greatly exaggerated his progress.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" />{{unreliable source|date=June 2023}} He also drafted a flyer that said "Get away from dunia [earthly matters] and be among Muslims!", advertising a cost of {{Currency|660|GBP}}/{{Currency|1,100|USD}} (including airfare).<ref name=":2" /> |
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It was this letter that caught the attention of many news outlets who began covering the case. It is believed that Ujaama was the first American to be arrested on a material witness warrant under the US PATRIOT Act. |
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In November/December 1999, [[Oussama Kassir]] and [[Haroon Aswat]] (emissaries from Abu Hamza) came to Bly to inspect the property.<ref name=":5" /> (They arrived in New York City on an [[Air India]] flight on November 26, 1999; afterwards, they rode a [[Greyhound bus]] to Seattle, and were then driven by Ujaama to Bly.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":5" />) However, Kassir and Aswat realized upon their arrival that there was nothing in the ranch, and that Ujaama had been running a scam.<ref name=":1" /> |
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== Material Support Charges and Flight to Avoid Testimony (2002 and 2007-2009) == |
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In January 2000, Ujaama moved back to London.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":5" /> From 2000 to 2001, Ujaama (under the alias Bilal Ahmed) operated the ''Supporters of Shariah'' website, which was used to advocate for "violent jihad".<ref name=":5" /> |
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Upon returning to the United States, Ujaama soon became the target of an investigation into efforts to start a jihad training camp in Marion, Alabama |
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<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/lawyer-says-ujaama-was-not-involved-in-jihad-web-1094121.php |title=Lawyer says Ujaama was not involved in jihad Web site |last=Skolink |first=Sam |publisher=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |date=August 21, 2002 |website=Seattle P-I |access-date=October 29, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/briton-faces-quiz-over-us-gun-camp-london-evening-standard-copy/ |title=Briton Faces Quiz Over US Gun Camp | London Evening Standard Copy |publisher=[[Internet Archive: Digital Library]] |access-date=2023-10-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1360750/The-British-security-expert-who-faces-questions-on-links-to-al-Qaeda-training.html |title=The British security expert who faces questions on 'linksto al-Qaeda training' |last=Hastings |first=Chris |last=Syal |first=Rajeev |last=Bamber |first=David |publisher=The Telegraph |date=October 28, 2001 |website=The Telegraph |access-date=October 29, 2023}}</ref>. On July 22, 2002, Ujaama was arrested as a material witness in Denver, Colorado. Ujaama was secretly moved out of Colorado and transported to Alexandria, Virginia, to be compelled to testify at a grand jury. When Ujaama refused, he was indicted shortly before getting into a shouting match with the lead federal prosecutor, accusing them of lying. |
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Soon after his indictment on charges of providing material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization, specifically supporting al-Qaeda, Ujaama was returned to Washington state. It was alleged that in 1999, Ujaama and others had attempted to establish a terrorist training in Bly, Oregon, and that he and others were part of a Seattle-based Al-Qaeda terrorist cell that had been engaged in poisoning waters, robbing banks, and hijacking truck drivers<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2002/07/13/task-force-probes-group-in-seattle-for-al-qaeda-links/ |title=Task Force Probes Group In Seattle for Al Qaeda Links |last=Meyer |first=Josh |publisher=Washington Post |date=July 13, 2005 |website=Encyclopedia of Things |access-date=October 29, 2023}}</ref>. It was later alleged that in November of 2002, Ujaama had taken Feroz Abassi to Afghanistan to become a suicide bomber for Al-Qaeda. |
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During this period, Ujaama was also known as Abu Samayya or Abdul Qaadir.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff, vs. EARNEST JAMES UJAAMA, aka Bilaf Ahmed, aka Abu Smayya, aka James Earnest Thompson, aka Abdul Qaadir, Defendant. |url=https://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/case_docs/171.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071019014407/https://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/case_docs/171.pdf |archive-date=19 October 2007 |website=www.investigativeproject.org}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=McDonnell |first=Patrick J. |date=2002-09-22 |title=The Entrepreneur Who Saw Road to Profit in Al Qaeda |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-sep-22-na-ujaama22-story.html |access-date=2022-08-06 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> |
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Ujaama was ordered held on Special Administrative Measures, a three-man hold and in solitary confinement from the day he refused to testify at a Grand Jury until the day he pled guilty on February 13, 2004. He pled guilty to violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, an Presidential Executive order signed by Clinton in 1999. As part of his plea, Ujaama agreed to testify at the trials of Abu Hamza al-Masri, Oussama Kassir, and Haroon Aswat. Ujaama spoke in the court room that day saying, |
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== Terrorism charges == |
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On July 22 2002,<ref>{{cite news |last=Holguin |first=Jamie |date=July 24, 2002 |title=Seattle man arrested in terror probe |work=CBS News |url=http://cbsnews.com/news/seattle-man-arrested-in-terror-probe/}}</ref> Ujaama was arrested at his grandmother's former house in Denver under a [[material witness]] warrant, becoming the first American to be detained on U.S. soil while under investigation using the [[Patriot Act]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name="auto">{{cite news |last1=Feit |first1=Josh |date=September 5, 2002 |title=A.K.A. Bilal Ahmed U.S. charges Seattle man with ties to al Qaeda |publisher=The Stranger |url=http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/aka-bilal-ahmed/Content?oid=11829 |quote=With the exception of Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh, it's the first public indictment brought against a U.S. citizen on domestic terrorism charges in the Bush administration's "War on Terrorism".}}</ref> He was charged by federal grand jury on August 28, 2002.<ref name="aidingalqaeda">{{Cite web |date=August 29, 2002 |title=Seattle man charged with aiding al Qaeda |url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/LAW/08/29/ujaama.indictment/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071103072846/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/LAW/08/29/ujaama.indictment/index.html |archive-date=2007-11-03 |access-date=2022-08-06 |website=CNN.com}}</ref> (The lead FBI agent in the case testified that he did not believe Ujaama needed to be locked up.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Skolnik |first=Sam |date=2002-11-13 |title=Ujaama isn't threat, agent says |url=https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Ujaama-isn-t-threat-agent-says-1100779.php |access-date=2022-08-06 |website=seattlepi.com |language=en-US}}</ref>) |
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"My plan for Bly included legitimate and legal religious training. I have come to accept that it was illegal in the United States. ... I don't agree with that law, and that's my right"<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/ujaama-case-comes-to-end-1137060.php |title=Ujaama case comes to an end |last=McGann |first=Chris |publisher=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |date=February 13, 2004 |website=Seattle P-I |access-date=October 29, 2023}}</ref>. He also spoke regarding his actions saying, "I've never wanted to see anyone harmed because of my silence or the silence of others. Through my attorneys and this plea, I've had a voice to bring clarity and understanding of the events and circumstances that were once unclear and could only be told by me. I've been truthful and will remain truthful"<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/ujaama-case-comes-to-end-1137060.php |title=Ujaama case comes to an end |last=McGann |first=Chris |publisher=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |date=February 13, 2004 |website=Seattle P-I |access-date=October 29, 2023}}</ref>. |
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Ujaama eventually admitted to aiding the [[Taliban]] as part of a plea deal.<ref name=":1" /> He pled guilty to violating the IEEPA for installing software for a friend to use on a computer owned by the Taliban, and "conspiring to take Feroz Abassi to go and fight with the Taliban against the Northern Alliance." He was sentenced on this charge in April 2003.<ref name=":1" /> In exchange for two years in jail, Ujaama agreed to testify against Abu Hamza, [[Oussama Kassir]], and [[Haroon Aswat]]. All three were charged by prosecutors, but resisted [[extradition]].<ref name=":1" /> |
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Ujaama served a total of two years from the time he was indicted. Human Rights Watch and other human rights organizations have questioned the US government tactics of holding Muslims in solitary confinement under SAMs and the use of Material Witness warrants to hold Muslims while they build their case. Ujaama was having a difficult time and had accused the government of attempting to use him. After the arrest of his brother, Ujaama left the country and headed south to Venuzuela. However, he was arrested shortly after arriving in Belize and returned to the US in late 2006. The entire case was dismissed and brought back with a new charge in the Southern District of New York. |
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In December 2006, Ujaama fled to [[Belize]], but was arrested there again. Returning to Manhattan, he again pled guilty in 2007 and was sentenced to four further years in jail. He again testified against Kassir in 2009 and against Abu Hamza in 2014.<ref name=":1" /> |
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On August 13, 2007, after spending months in isolation, Ujaama signed a plea that charged him with four counts. In 2009, he testified at the trial of Oussama Abdullah Kassir. Ujaama was released on bail to return home to his family in 2010. In 2014, Ujaama testified at the trial of Abu Hamza along with Saajid Badat, Mary Quinn, Evan Kohlman, Angelica Morris, David Smith, and others<ref>{{cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2014/05/07/justice/new-york-al-masri-terror-trial/index.html |title=Cleric al-Masri takes the stand at New York terror trial |last=Jakobsson |first=Llena |publisher=CNN |date=May 7, 2014 |website=CNN |access-date=October 29, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/mary-quin-abu-hamza-trial-3433666 |title=The woman who took revenge on Abu Hamza after Yemen kidnapping |last=Withridge |first=Annette |last=Mudie |first=Keir |publisher=The Mirror |date=April 19, 2014 |website=The Mirror |access-date=October 29, 2023}}</ref>. Ujaama was sentenced to no additional jail time and no probation. He was officially charged with Count One: Conspiracy To Provide and Conceal Material Support (Offense ended 1/1/2000); Count Two: Conspiracy to Provide and Conceal Material Support (Offense ended 12/19/2001); and Providing and Concealing Material Support (Offense ended 12/19/2001); Count Four: Flight to Avoid Prosecution/ Giving Testimony (Offense ended: 12/18/2006). All references to terrorism were removed from the charges. |
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On October 23, 2015, Ujaama was convicted for a third time at a U.S. district court in Manhattan.<ref name=":1" /> He was sentenced to [[time served]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/24/nyregion/terror-suspects-unprecedented-aid-in-other-cases-spares-him-more-prison.html|work=The New York Times|title=Terror Suspect’s Aid in Other Cases Spares Him More Prison|first=Colin|last=Moynihan|date=October 23, 2015|access-date=October 31, 2023}}</ref> |
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Ujaama's charges all included Section 956 of Title 18, (Conspiring to kill, kidnap, maim, and injure persons and to damage and destroy property in a foreign country) and directly related to taking Feroz Abassi to a Taliban frontline commander in Afghanistan. Abu Hamza was also charged with the same section, but it was later dropped. Additionally, Abassi was released by the US and never charged. However, he was paid $1.67 million for what a UK judge called "illegal" detention. |
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== Later life == |
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Since 2015, Ujaama has engaged in doctoral studies at the University of Washington.<ref name=":1" /> He has worked as a trucker and travelled overseas.<ref name=A2A>{{cite web|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/algeria-to-afghanistan-our-reporters-dispatches-from-the-front-lines-of-the-9-11-wars/|title=Algeria to Afghanistan: Our reporter’s dispatches from the front lines of the 9/11 wars|first=Hal|last=Bernton|date=September 11, 2021|access-date=October 31, 2023|work=Seattle Times}}</ref> In a 2021 interview, he said the case against him was "a farce" and accused the US Justice Department of misrepresenting the camp he trained at by falsely linking it to [[al-Qaida]]. He said, "I don’t feel like I didn’t do anything immoral or wrong … I believed in what I was doing … All these things get turned around and twisted around."<ref name=A2A/> |
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== Education and Continued Activism (2010–present) == |
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When Ujaama returned home to Seattle in December 2010, he enrolled in a certificate program at the University of Washington. He graduated from the program in 2011 and became a matriculating student. On April 26, 2012, the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity awarded Ujaama the Merit Award for academic success and achievement<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/2012-04-26-merit-award-uw-copy/ |title=2012 04 26 Merit Award UW Copy |publisher=[[Internet Archive: Digital Library]] |access-date=2023-10-29}}</ref>. He graduated in 2013 with honors with a Bachelor of Arts in Near Eastern Studies: Culture and Civilization<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/ph-d-degree-earnest-j.-ujaama/ |title=PhD Degree Earnest J. Ujaama |publisher=[[Internet Archive: Digital Library]] |access-date=2023-10-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-ej-ujaama/details/education/ |title=PhD Degree Earnest J. Ujaama |publisher=[[LinkedIn]] |access-date=2023-10-29}}</ref>. He also received two minors, one in Human Rights and another in Diversity Studies. |
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On June 20, 2015, Ujaama received a Master of Arts in Education from Antioch University, specializing in Social Justice Education <ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/ph-d-degree-earnest-j.-ujaama/ |title=PhD Degree Earnest J. Ujaama |publisher=[[Internet Archive: Digital Library]] |access-date=2023-10-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-ej-ujaama/details/education/ |title=PhD Degree Earnest J. Ujaama |publisher=[[LinkedIn]] |access-date=2023-10-29}}</ref>. He then enrolled in the doctoral program at Walden University and earned his Ph.D. in Criminal Justice on February 14, 2021 <ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/ph-d-degree-earnest-j.-ujaama/ |title=PhD Degree Earnest J. Ujaama |publisher=[[Internet Archive: Digital Library]] |access-date=2023-10-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-ej-ujaama/details/education/ |title=PhD Degree Earnest J. Ujaama |publisher=[[LinkedIn]] |access-date=2023-10-29}}</ref>. Ujaama has also earned a Master of Philosophy in Criminal Justice and a Master of Science in Forensic Psychology with a specialization in Terrorism <ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/ph-d-degree-earnest-j.-ujaama/ |title=PhD Degree Earnest J. Ujaama |publisher=[[Internet Archive: Digital Library]] |access-date=2023-10-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-ej-ujaama/details/education/ |title=PhD Degree Earnest J. Ujaama |publisher=[[LinkedIn]] |access-date=2023-10-29}}</ref>. Ujaama also earned graduate certificates in Terrorism Studies. |
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Ujaama's activism continues. He is an outspoken critic of the American criminal justice system. His dissertation, entitled: Modern Black Codes: Presidential Crime Control Rhetoric and Black Criminalization "examines whether crime control language used by the Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump (presidencies) construct the implication of Black criminality by repeating prevailing assumptions of welfare, poverty, crime, and violence" (Ujaama, 2021)<ref>{{cite web |last=Ujaama |first=Earnest |title=Modern Black Codes: Presidential Crime Control Rhetoric and Black Criminalization|date=2021|publisher=Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies |url=https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/10190/}}</ref>. |
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== Selected bibliography == |
== Selected bibliography == |
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* Ujaama, Ej. (1993). Entrepreneur Basics 101. Seattle, WA: Be Your Own Boss Publishing. |
* Ujaama, Ej. (1993). Entrepreneur Basics 101. Seattle, WA: Be Your Own Boss Publishing. |
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* Ujaama, Ej. (1994). How to Be An Entrepreneur. Seattle, WA: Be Your Own Boss Publishing. |
* Ujaama, Ej. (1994). How to Be An Entrepreneur. Seattle, WA: Be Your Own Boss Publishing. |
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* Ujaama, Ej. ( |
* Ujaama, Ej. (1995). Coming Up. Seattle, WA: Inner-City Publishing. |
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== References == |
== References == |
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[[Category:Antioch University alumni]] |
[[Category:Antioch University alumni]] |
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[[Category:Walden University alumni]] |
[[Category:Walden University alumni]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]] |
Revision as of 07:37, 31 October 2023
Earnest James Ujaama | |
---|---|
Born | December 1965 (age 58) Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
Education | |
Known for | Social Justice, Human Rights activism, and critical of US criminal justice. |
Website | drujaama |
Earnest James Ujaama is a black-American Muslim and community activist.[1] Ujaama was born James Earnest Thompson in Denver on December 14, 1965.
Early life and Activism
Earnest Ujaama has been an activist ever since he was a small boy and grew up under the protection and activism of the Black Panther Party. His mother was an activist and a federal government employee. In around 1992, Ujaama started the Be Your Own Boss, No Drugs, and No Gangs campaign to teach entrepreneurship in his neighborhood as an alternative to joining gangs and selling drugs. "Washington state lawmakers recognized his efforts by declaring June 10, 1994"[2]. On the same day, a representative from US Congressman James Bilbray flew into Seattle to welcome Ujaama to Las Vegas and present him with a Certificate of Special Recognition. A representative from US Senator Harry Reid's office did the same. Ujaama was also presented with a key to the City of Las Vegas and was honored by KCPQ 13 as a "Special Person."
Ujaama is known for his work in the 1980's to promote entrepreneurship, self-employment, and opportunities that were frequently denied to the Black community. During that time period, many young black men were being killed in gang violence in the height of the crack-cocaine pandemic. Ujaama wanted badly to do something about it. Ujaama grew up in the Central District of Seattle, often known as the colored district. He often spoke about systemic racism and the racism he faced. Ujaama wrote and published four books, among them was a book entitled, Coming Up.
Conversion to Islam (1996–2002)
Ujaama converted to Islam in late 1996. Soon after, he traveled to London to study Islam under a Jamaican-born cleric named Abdullah al-Faisal. In 1998, Ujaama traveled to Afghanistan along with other Muslims from London to attend a jihad training camp in Afghanistan[3].Ujaama began studying under Abu Hamza al-Masri not long after returning from Afghanistan[4].
In 2001, Ujaama founded StopAmerica.org, an anti-US foreign policy and antiwar website that he worked on from Karachi, Pakistan[5][6][7]. On the website, Ujaama wrote:
"Our campaign will not end until America's foreign policy has ended. We are Americans united against war. We want the killing to end, and America's foreign policymakers brought to justice for the attempted genocide of more than 500,000 innocent children in Iraq. America's foreign policymakers have brought hate to the people of the United States. We the people of the United States charge this government and their coalition with conspiracy to commit genocide and crimes of terrorism against Muslim people in our names. Founder's Message, E.J. Ujaama"[8][9][10].
In 2002, the government began targeting Muslims throughout the United States. Because of his work on Abu Hamza's Supporters of Shariah website and his StopAmerica.org website, Ujaama became a person of high interest. Learning that he was a target of a government investigation, Ujaama wrote an editorial saying, "My brother and I are not terrorists, and we should not have been charged in the media and harassed." He further wrote,
"This is surely a runaway government administration that I strongly believe knew about the events of September 11 prior to the attack on New York, and refused to intervene in lieu of economic and political gains. I also do not believe that Zacarious Moussaoui had anything to do with those events, and that he and many others are being railroaded in an attempt to cover up the truth."
It was this letter that caught the attention of many news outlets who began covering the case. It is believed that Ujaama was the first American to be arrested on a material witness warrant under the US PATRIOT Act.
Material Support Charges and Flight to Avoid Testimony (2002 and 2007-2009)
Upon returning to the United States, Ujaama soon became the target of an investigation into efforts to start a jihad training camp in Marion, Alabama [11][12][13]. On July 22, 2002, Ujaama was arrested as a material witness in Denver, Colorado. Ujaama was secretly moved out of Colorado and transported to Alexandria, Virginia, to be compelled to testify at a grand jury. When Ujaama refused, he was indicted shortly before getting into a shouting match with the lead federal prosecutor, accusing them of lying.
Soon after his indictment on charges of providing material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization, specifically supporting al-Qaeda, Ujaama was returned to Washington state. It was alleged that in 1999, Ujaama and others had attempted to establish a terrorist training in Bly, Oregon, and that he and others were part of a Seattle-based Al-Qaeda terrorist cell that had been engaged in poisoning waters, robbing banks, and hijacking truck drivers[14]. It was later alleged that in November of 2002, Ujaama had taken Feroz Abassi to Afghanistan to become a suicide bomber for Al-Qaeda.
Ujaama was ordered held on Special Administrative Measures, a three-man hold and in solitary confinement from the day he refused to testify at a Grand Jury until the day he pled guilty on February 13, 2004. He pled guilty to violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, an Presidential Executive order signed by Clinton in 1999. As part of his plea, Ujaama agreed to testify at the trials of Abu Hamza al-Masri, Oussama Kassir, and Haroon Aswat. Ujaama spoke in the court room that day saying,
"My plan for Bly included legitimate and legal religious training. I have come to accept that it was illegal in the United States. ... I don't agree with that law, and that's my right"[15]. He also spoke regarding his actions saying, "I've never wanted to see anyone harmed because of my silence or the silence of others. Through my attorneys and this plea, I've had a voice to bring clarity and understanding of the events and circumstances that were once unclear and could only be told by me. I've been truthful and will remain truthful"[16].
Ujaama served a total of two years from the time he was indicted. Human Rights Watch and other human rights organizations have questioned the US government tactics of holding Muslims in solitary confinement under SAMs and the use of Material Witness warrants to hold Muslims while they build their case. Ujaama was having a difficult time and had accused the government of attempting to use him. After the arrest of his brother, Ujaama left the country and headed south to Venuzuela. However, he was arrested shortly after arriving in Belize and returned to the US in late 2006. The entire case was dismissed and brought back with a new charge in the Southern District of New York.
On August 13, 2007, after spending months in isolation, Ujaama signed a plea that charged him with four counts. In 2009, he testified at the trial of Oussama Abdullah Kassir. Ujaama was released on bail to return home to his family in 2010. In 2014, Ujaama testified at the trial of Abu Hamza along with Saajid Badat, Mary Quinn, Evan Kohlman, Angelica Morris, David Smith, and others[17][18]. Ujaama was sentenced to no additional jail time and no probation. He was officially charged with Count One: Conspiracy To Provide and Conceal Material Support (Offense ended 1/1/2000); Count Two: Conspiracy to Provide and Conceal Material Support (Offense ended 12/19/2001); and Providing and Concealing Material Support (Offense ended 12/19/2001); Count Four: Flight to Avoid Prosecution/ Giving Testimony (Offense ended: 12/18/2006). All references to terrorism were removed from the charges.
Ujaama's charges all included Section 956 of Title 18, (Conspiring to kill, kidnap, maim, and injure persons and to damage and destroy property in a foreign country) and directly related to taking Feroz Abassi to a Taliban frontline commander in Afghanistan. Abu Hamza was also charged with the same section, but it was later dropped. Additionally, Abassi was released by the US and never charged. However, he was paid $1.67 million for what a UK judge called "illegal" detention.
Education and Continued Activism (2010–present)
When Ujaama returned home to Seattle in December 2010, he enrolled in a certificate program at the University of Washington. He graduated from the program in 2011 and became a matriculating student. On April 26, 2012, the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity awarded Ujaama the Merit Award for academic success and achievement[19]. He graduated in 2013 with honors with a Bachelor of Arts in Near Eastern Studies: Culture and Civilization[20][21]. He also received two minors, one in Human Rights and another in Diversity Studies.
On June 20, 2015, Ujaama received a Master of Arts in Education from Antioch University, specializing in Social Justice Education [22][23]. He then enrolled in the doctoral program at Walden University and earned his Ph.D. in Criminal Justice on February 14, 2021 [24][25]. Ujaama has also earned a Master of Philosophy in Criminal Justice and a Master of Science in Forensic Psychology with a specialization in Terrorism [26][27]. Ujaama also earned graduate certificates in Terrorism Studies.
Ujaama's activism continues. He is an outspoken critic of the American criminal justice system. His dissertation, entitled: Modern Black Codes: Presidential Crime Control Rhetoric and Black Criminalization "examines whether crime control language used by the Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump (presidencies) construct the implication of Black criminality by repeating prevailing assumptions of welfare, poverty, crime, and violence" (Ujaama, 2021)[28].
Selected bibliography
- Ujaama, Ej. (1991). Young People's Guide to Starting a Business. Self-published.
- Ujaama, Ej. (1993). Entrepreneur Basics 101. Seattle, WA: Be Your Own Boss Publishing.
- Ujaama, Ej. (1994). How to Be An Entrepreneur. Seattle, WA: Be Your Own Boss Publishing.
- Ujaama, Ej. (1995). Coming Up. Seattle, WA: Inner-City Publishing.
References
- ^ Jamieson, Robert L. (July 18, 2002). "Real case against Ujaama yet to be made". seattlepi.com. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
- ^ McGann, Chris (February 23, 2004). "Ujaama Case Comes to an End". Internet Archive. Internet Archive. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "The British security expert who faces questions on 'linksto al-Qaeda training'". CNN. CNN. November 13, 2002. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ Sallinger, Rick (May 25, 2016). "Denver Native Talks About Getting Tangled In the War On Terror". Encyclopedia of Things. CBS News Colorado. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "Campaign to Stop American Foreign Policy and War". Internet Archive: Digital Library. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "Stopamerica Org by Ujaama". Internet Archive: Digital Library. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ Brennan, Charlie (July 26, 2002). "Denver Man Disappeared for Website Content". Innovative Minds. Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "Campaign to Stop American Foreign Policy and War". Internet Archive: Digital Library. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "Stopamerica Org by Ujaama". Internet Archive: Digital Library. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ Brennan, Charlie (July 26, 2002). "Denver Man Disappeared for Website Content". Innovative Minds. Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ Skolink, Sam (August 21, 2002). "Lawyer says Ujaama was not involved in jihad Web site". Seattle P-I. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "Briton Faces Quiz Over US Gun Camp". Internet Archive: Digital Library. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
{{cite web}}
: Text "London Evening Standard Copy" ignored (help) - ^ Bamber, David (October 28, 2001). "The British security expert who faces questions on 'linksto al-Qaeda training'". The Telegraph. The Telegraph. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ Meyer, Josh (July 13, 2005). "Task Force Probes Group In Seattle for Al Qaeda Links". Encyclopedia of Things. Washington Post. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ McGann, Chris (February 13, 2004). "Ujaama case comes to an end". Seattle P-I. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ McGann, Chris (February 13, 2004). "Ujaama case comes to an end". Seattle P-I. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ Jakobsson, Llena (May 7, 2014). "Cleric al-Masri takes the stand at New York terror trial". CNN. CNN. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ Mudie, Keir (April 19, 2014). "The woman who took revenge on Abu Hamza after Yemen kidnapping". The Mirror. The Mirror. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "2012 04 26 Merit Award UW Copy". Internet Archive: Digital Library. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "PhD Degree Earnest J. Ujaama". Internet Archive: Digital Library. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "PhD Degree Earnest J. Ujaama". LinkedIn. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "PhD Degree Earnest J. Ujaama". Internet Archive: Digital Library. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "PhD Degree Earnest J. Ujaama". LinkedIn. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "PhD Degree Earnest J. Ujaama". Internet Archive: Digital Library. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "PhD Degree Earnest J. Ujaama". LinkedIn. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "PhD Degree Earnest J. Ujaama". Internet Archive: Digital Library. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "PhD Degree Earnest J. Ujaama". LinkedIn. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ Ujaama, Earnest (2021). "Modern Black Codes: Presidential Crime Control Rhetoric and Black Criminalization". Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies.