Mumia's Early Life

On April 24, 1954 Wesley Cook, later to be called Mumia Abu-Jamal, was born in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. We was raised by both his mother and father until his fathers death in 1963 when Mumia was only nine years old. He changed his name at the age of fourteen to Mumia which translates to Prince. At the age of nineteen he married his first wife Biba. With Biba he had two children, the first of which was a boy named Jamal. After having this child he adopted the rest of the name that he now goes by, Abu-Jamal, which translates to “father of Jamal” in Arabic. After his marriage to Biba ended Mumia went on to marry a women named Marilyn. With Marilyn Mumia had another son. He married his final wife Wadiya shortly before he was sent away to jail for the murder of Officer Daniel Faulkner.