Ms. Lydia Wallace

4. Lydia Wallace

Lydia Wallace is Mumia Abu-Jamal's older sister.She used to change his diapers when he was a baby.Ms. Wallace hold a B.A. degree in human services and administration from Antioch University and a certificate in fitness and nutrition.She is a licensed practical nurse who works as director of social services for the mentally retarded and mentally ill.Ms. Wallace has worked in the latter field since 1988.Prior to that she worked as a practical nurse for 12 years.Ms. Wallace is treasurer and a member of the board of directors of the Philadelphia Black Womens' Health Group Project.She has served in the past as a Democratic Party committee woman. (7/26/95 PCRA Tr. 138-140, 149)

Ms. Wallace testified that, as a child, Mumia used to spend a lot of his time reading in the library.
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According to Ms. Wallace, Mumia was Avery, very sensitive."
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Ms. Wallace testified that, as a child, Mumia loved to read.
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Ms. Wallace remembered: "He wouldn't lie.
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According to Ms. Wallace: "He like being out in the community with people.
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Ms. Wallace testified that here was nothing violent in Mumia's nature, to the contrary he was always a peace-maker: "There is nothing that is in his character that I recall being violent.He's only been a peacemaker.
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The effect of the Commonwealth attorney's statement concerning the credibility and significance of the character evidence in the course of his cross-examination of Ms. Wallace at the PCRA hearing was similar.

4. Lydia Wallace

Lydia Wallace is Mumia Abu-Jamal's older sister.She used to change his diapers when he was a baby.Ms. Wallace hold a B.A. degree in human services and administration from Antioch University and a certificate in fitness and nutrition.She is a licensed practical nurse who works as director of social services for the mentally retarded and mentally ill.Ms. Wallace has worked in the latter field since 1988.Prior to that she worked as a practical nurse for 12 years.Ms. Wallace is treasurer and a member of the board of directors of the Philadelphia Black Womens' Health Group Project.She has served in the past as a Democratic Party committee woman. (7/26/95 PCRA Tr. 138-140, 149)

Ms. Wallace testified that, as a child, Mumia used to spend a lot of his time reading in the library.He grew up in a strict Southern Baptist family.Their mother was involved in neighborhood activities, serving as a poll watcher and election judge during elections.Mumia has four brothers.In addition to his younger brother and twin brother, Mumia has two older brothers.One older brother is a retired career soldier who attained the rank of sergeant.Mumia's twin brother is also a career soldier in the U.S. armed forces. (7/26/95 PCRA Tr. 145-148)

According to Ms. Wallace, Mumia was "very, very sensitive."Growing up, "[i]f his brothers got into arguments ... he would be the peacemaker."Mumia was a "real sensitive kind of kid."He was a very loving child.Ms. Wallace recounts: "He was loving towards all of us.But he was very loving towards my mother.He, adored my mother ...He would never come in the house without hugging and kissing her.He was always bringing her things, like bean sprouts and fresh vegetables and fresh fruit, because he was always concerned about her health."(7/26/95 PCRA Tr. 149-151)

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Ms. Wallace testified that, as a child, Mumia loved to read.Mumia "read everything that he could read about religion."He was "spiritual" and very interested in religion: "[W]hen he was, I guess he was elementary school age ...And there was a Jewish synagogue, there was a missionary church, there was a Catholic church, there were al kinds of churches around.And I recall Mumia going to these churches, visiting the rabbis and priests and ministers and all that stuff, questioning them about religious things.He would always talk to the older people in our neighborhood, talk to them about religious things.So we always said well, he's just spiritual, you know."(7/26/95 PCRA Tr. 153)

When he became an adolescent, Mumia became even more "[q]uiet, loving, sensitive."But he never changed."He was always, you know, spiritual."Mumia's interest in spiritual matter continued into adolescence."He felt that even a roach had a right to live."(7/26/95 PCRA Tr. 154, 156)

Mumia "loved going to school, he loved learning."
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Ms. Wallace remembered: "He wouldn't lie.He wouldn't lie.He used to get us in a lot of trouble [when we were kids].Sometimes we would be doing something we had no business as children to do.And we would all get in a corner and say well, we going, we going to tell mom that we did this, we did that.And everybody said yeah, this is the lie, this is what we are going to tell.Not Mumia.
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According to Ms. Wallace: "He like being out in the community with people.He liked being with people.So he was concerned about whether we had good housing or being well fed or whether the neighborhood's kids had food or something like that.He was always concerned about the community."(7/26/95 PCRA Tr. 161)

Mumia was a devoted father who loved kids: "...he was very fatherly, very affectionate, very loving, you know, to his children.
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Ms. Wallace testified that here was nothing violent in Mumia's nature, to the contrary he was always a peace-maker: "There is nothing that is in his character that I recall being violent.He's only been a peacemaker.He always talked, like kids in the neighborhood and they were gang-warring ... he would talk to them, you know.He would talk to people, he was always a peacemaker.Even if he got into a confrontation, unfortunate to his opponent, he would talk them out of confrontation.You know, they might want to fight, but before they knew it, Mumia had talked them out of it.And they didn't even know that they had been talked out of it, you know.He was like that.
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The Commonwealth attorney asked Ms. Wallace on cross-examination how she could reconcile her description of her baby brother, Mumia, with the crime of which he was convicted.This was her answer: "No, not my kind brother.No question in my mind, I , you know.Well, the other thing is he told me he didn't do it.So I believed him.But I know that's not characteristic of his - of him, he is not like that."(7/26/95 PCRA Tr. 191)

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The effect of the Commonwealth attorney's statement concerning the credibility and significance of the character evidence in the course of his cross-examination of Ms. Wallace at the PCRA hearing was similar.Not only did the Commonwealth attorney specifically state that he did not "think that [the crime of which Mr. Jamal was convicted] is characteristic [of him], but the Commonwealth attorney also stated that the basis for this belief was the testimony of all the "good people" who had testified at the PCRA hearing on behalf of Mr. Jamal.

Inasmuch as "good people" do not lie under oath, it is necessarily true that, by his statement, the Commonwealth attorney vouched for the truthfulness of these mitigation witnesses' testimony and, thus, made it his (and the Commonwealth's) own, in the same fashion as he adopted the testimony of Mr. Collins concerning Mr. Jamal's "immense talents."

The doctrine of judicial estoppel holds that, once having affirmed under oath that a particular state of facts exists, a party may not later assert the contrary is true.People v. Hood, 638 N.E.2d 264, 265 Ill.App.3d 232 (1994).

4. Lydia Wallace

Lydia Wallace is Mumia Abu-Jamal's older sister.She used to change his diapers when he was a baby.Ms. Wallace hold a B.A. degree in human services and administration from Antioch University and a certificate in fitness and nutrition.She is a licensed practical nurse who works as director of social services for the mentally retarded and mentally ill.Ms. Wallace has worked in the latter field since 1988.Prior to that she worked as a practical nurse for 12 years.Ms. Wallace is treasurer and a member of the board of directors of the Philadelphia Black Womens' Health Group Project.She has served in the past as a Democratic Party committee woman. (7/26/95 PCRA Tr. 138-140, 149)

Ms. Wallace testified that, as a child, Mumia used to spend a lot of his time reading in the library.He grew up in a strict Southern Baptist family.Their mother was involved in neighborhood activities, serving as a poll watcher and election judge during elections.Mumia has four brothers.In addition to his younger brother and twin brother, Mumia has two older brothers.One older brother is a retired career soldier who attained the rank of sergeant.Mumia's twin brother is also a career soldier in the U.S. armed forces. (7/26/95 PCRA Tr. 145-148)

According to Ms. Wallace, Mumia was "very, very sensitive."Growing up, "[i]f his brothers got into arguments ... he would be the peacemaker."Mumia was a "real sensitive kind of kid."He was a very loving child.Ms. Wallace recounts: "He was loving towards all of us.
...
Ms. Wallace testified that, as a child, Mumia loved to read.Mumia "read everything that he could read about religion."He was "spiritual" and very interested in religion: "[W]hen he was, I guess he was elementary school age ...And there was a Jewish synagogue, there was a missionary church, there was a Catholic church, there were al kinds of churches around.And I recall Mumia going to these churches, visiting the rabbis and priests and ministers and all that stuff, questioning them about religious things.He would always talk to the older people in our neighborhood, talk to them about religious things.So we always said well, he's just spiritual, you know."(7/26/95 PCRA Tr. 153)

When he became an adolescent, Mumia became even more "[q]uiet, loving, sensitive."But he never changed.
...
Ms. Wallace remembered: "He wouldn't lie.
...
According to Ms. Wallace: "He like being out in the community with people.
...
Ms. Wallace testified that here was nothing violent in Mumia's nature, to the contrary he was always a peace-maker: "There is nothing that is in his character that I recall being violent.He's only been a peacemaker.
...
The Commonwealth attorney asked Ms. Wallace on cross-examination how she could reconcile her description of her baby brother, Mumia, with the crime of which he was convicted.This was her answer: "No, not my kind brother.
...
The effect of the Commonwealth attorney's statement concerning the credibility and significance of the character evidence in the course of his cross-examination of Ms. Wallace at the PCRA hearing was similar.

4. Lydia Wallace

Lydia Wallace is Mumia Abu-Jamal's older sister.She used to change his diapers when he was a baby.Ms. Wallace hold a B.A. degree in human services and administration from Antioch University and a certificate in fitness and nutrition.She is a licensed practical nurse who works as director of social services for the mentally retarded and mentally ill.Ms. Wallace has worked in the latter field since 1988.Prior to that she worked as a practical nurse for 12 years.Ms. Wallace is treasurer and a member of the board of directors of the Philadelphia Black Womens' Health Group Project.She has served in the past as a Democratic Party committee woman. (7/26/95 PCRA Tr. 138-140, 149)

Ms. Wallace testified that, as a child, Mumia used to spend a lot of his time reading in the library.He grew up in a strict Southern Baptist family.Their mother was involved in neighborhood activities, serving as a poll watcher and election judge during elections.Mumia has four brothers.In addition to his younger brother and twin brother, Mumia has two older brothers.One older brother is a retired career soldier who attained the rank of sergeant.Mumia's twin brother is also a career soldier in the U.S. armed forces. (7/26/95 PCRA Tr. 145-148)

According to Ms. Wallace, Mumia was Avery, very sensitive."Growing up, "[i]f his brothers got into arguments ... he would be the peacemaker."Mumia was a "real sensitive kind of kid."He was a very loving child.Ms. Wallace recounts: "He was loving towards all of us.
...
Ms. Wallace testified that, as a child, Mumia loved to read.Mumia "read everything that he could read about religion."He was "spiritual" and very interested in religion: "[W]hen he was, I guess he was elementary school age ...And there was a Jewish synagogue, there was a missionary church, there was a Catholic church, there were al kinds of churches around.And I recall Mumia going to these churches, visiting the rabbis and priests and ministers and all that stuff, questioning them about religious things.He would always talk to the older people in our neighborhood, talk to them about religious things.So we always said well, he's just spiritual, you know."(7/26/95 PCRA Tr. 153)

When he became an adolescent, Mumia became even more "[q]uiet, loving, sensitive."But he never changed.
...
Ms. Wallace remembered: "He wouldn't lie.
...
According to Ms. Wallace: "He like being out in the community with people.
...
Ms. Wallace testified that here was nothing violent in Mumia's nature, to the contrary he was always a peace-maker: "There is nothing that is in his character that I recall being violent.He's only been a peacemaker.
...
The Commonwealth attorney asked Ms. Wallace on cross-examination how she could reconcile her description of her baby brother, Mumia, with the crime of which he was convicted.This was her answer: "No, not my kind brother.
...
The effect of the Commonwealth attorney's statement concerning the credibility and significance of the character evidence in the course of his cross-examination of Ms. Wallace at the PCRA hearing was similar.

4. Lydia WallaceLydia Wallace is Mumia Abu-Jamal's older sister.She used to change his diapers when he was a baby.Ms. Wallace hold a B.A. degree in human services and administration from Antioch University and a certificate in fitness and nutrition.She is a licensed practical nurse who works as director of social services for the mentally retarded and mentally ill.Ms. Wallace has worked in the latter field since 1988.Prior to that she worked as a practical nurse for 12 years.Ms. Wallace is treasurer and a member of the board of directors of the Philadelphia Black Womens' Health Group Project.She has served in the past as a Democratic Party committee woman. (7/26/95 PCRA Tr. 138-140, 149)Ms. Wallace testified that, as a child, Mumia used to spend a lot of his time reading in the library.He grew up in a strict Southern Baptist family.Their mother was involved in neighborhood activities, serving as a poll watcher and election judge during elections.
...
According to Ms. Wallace, Mumia was Avery, very sensitive."
...
Ms. Wallace testified that, as a child, Mumia loved to read.
...
Ms. Wallace remembered: "He wouldn't lie.He wouldn't lie.He used to get us in a lot of trouble [when we were kids].Sometimes we would be doing something we had no business as children to do.And we would all get in a corner and say well, we going, we going to tell mom that we did this, we did that.And everybody said yeah, this is the lie, this is what we are going to tell.
...
According to Ms. Wallace: "He like being out in the community with people.He liked being with people.So he was concerned about whether we had good housing or being well fed or whether the neighborhood's kids had food or something like that.He was always concerned about the community."(7/26/95 PCRA Tr. 161)
...
Ms. Wallace testified that here was nothing violent in Mumia's nature, to the contrary he was always a peace-maker: "There is nothing that is in his character that I recall being violent.He's only been a peacemaker.He always talked, like kids in the neighborhood and they were gang-warring ... he would talk to them, you know.He would talk to people, he was always a peacemaker.Even if he got into a confrontation, unfortunate to his opponent, he would talk them out of confrontation.

Lydia Wallace
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Lydia Wallace
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Lydia Wallace
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Lydia Wallace - Director