Every September, the Prisoners’ Brain Trust (PBT) gathers to honor the legacy of the 1971 Attica Uprising, a moment that forever changed the landscape of prisoner resistance and justice in the United States. Our Attica Community Remembrance Day is more than an annual event—it is a call to remember, organize, and build a future where dignity, safety, and freedom are accessible to all. Since 2020, PBT has hosted this event to commemorate the lives lost and the truths raised during the historic uprising at Attica Correctional Facility. What began as a virtual gathering during the pandemic has evolved into a powerful in-person community tradition. In 2021 and 2022, we held virtual panels with powerful conversations from formerly and currently incarcerated leaders. In 2023, we launched our first in-person Community BBQ, and by 2024, we had gathered hundreds of neighbors, families, advocates, and formerly incarcerated leaders for the Second Annual BBQ.
This year, on September 13th, 2025, we invite you to join us for our Third Annual Community BBQ—an afternoon of remembrance, food, music, healing, and collective power.
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The Attica Uprising was one of the most important prisoner-led revolts in U.S. history. On September 9, 1971, over 1,200 men inside Attica rose up in protest of inhumane conditions and systemic abuse. After four days of negotiation and solidarity, the uprising was met with state violence—resulting in the deaths of 43 people, most of whom were killed by law enforcement. Yet, Attica’s legacy lives on in every act of resistance behind the walls and every effort to build justice beyond them. At PBT, we believe the uprising was not an isolated event, but part of an ongoing struggle. We are inspired by the vision of the incarcerated thinkers who formed the Green Haven Think Tank—a collective that pioneered prisoner-led education, policy critique, and abolitionist thought. That spirit lives in the heart of our work.
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We host the Attica Community Remembrance BBQ to bring people together—inside and out. It’s a space where we celebrate the strength and creativity of those impacted by incarceration, share healing resources, showcase art and music, and educate our communities about prison justice. From free food and performances to poetry, visual art, and community wellness, the BBQ is an opportunity to honor those who came before us and recommit to building the future they imagined. We do this to remind the world that incarcerated people are part of our communities, not apart from them. And we believe remembrance must be rooted in joy, resistance, and care.
