Brother Malakki

Brother Malakki currently resides in what he calls our society’s “Netherworld,” having spent 30 years within Pennsylvania’s prison system, and he is presently housed at SCI–Laurel Highlands. His path of redemption began during his first five years on Death Row, before his appeal converted his sentence to life without the possibility of parole. Like the Egyptian deity Set, who transformed from a figure of chaos to one who ultimately defended Ra’s solar boat, Brother Malakki chose to shift from being an antagonist to becoming the hero of his own narrative.

While in solitary confinement, he turned his cell into a “secret cathedral of learning.” Upon entering general population, he became a tutor and educational mentor, helping hundreds of incarcerated men earn their GEDs. He attended evening college courses, accumulating over 300 hours of matriculation, and became a trusted ally of incarcerated elders devoted to scholarship and self-improvement. Together, they founded Elsinore-Bennu, a think tank that collaborated with colleges and community advocates to develop strategies for restorative justice. Their work culminated in the publication of Life Sentences, a book illuminating their collective experiences and insights.

As a writer, Brother Malakki has been published in multiple books and magazines and has received writing awards from PEN America. Despite the challenges posed by multiple sclerosis, which has rendered him disabled, he continues to work within the prison as a Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) and recently earned a Social Work certification through a correspondence program.

If he is not engaged in his “exhumation of ancestral esoterica,” Brother Malakki can often be found pursuing his latest intellectual passion: teaching himself calculus. His life and work embody transformation, resilience, and a profound commitment to learning and communal uplift even in the harshest of conditions.