Russell Thomas Moore aka James Hudson Savage, is an Aboriginal man serving a life sentence in an American Prison for a crime he was convicted of in 1988. He has already served more than 20 years of a 25 year non parole sentence.
Image of Russell from US Department of Corrections
Russell is a child of the Stolen Generation. He was stolen from his mother Beverley Moore, a Wamba Wamba woman from Swan Hill in Victoria, when he was 4 days old and subsequently adopted by a white christian family who took him to the US.
Russell never knew about his heritage and when he asked his adoptive parents they refused to tell him anything. Russell began to drink and use drugs and was in and out of correctional institutions during most of his adulthood. His adoptive parents then returned to Australia without him and he ended up living on the streets and became addicted to alcohol and other substances.
When he was first convicted he was sentenced to the Electric Chair, but this decision was eventually overturned by a circuit judge after an appeal. Russell had spent time on Death Row in Florida awaiting this decision. His sentence was changed to Life without Parole, meaning he would serve 25 years of his sentence before he could apply for Parole.
It was during this court process that it was revealed that he was a child of Australia's Stolen Generation, and the push for him to be returned home began. Russell met his birth mother during his trial in the US, and has had limited contact with his mother since, except through costly telephone calls. His mother is now afraid she will never see her son again.
Aboriginal singer Archie Roach who sang 'Took The Children Away' wrote a song about Russell being stolen from his mother called Munjana.
You can also listen to an interview I did in December last year on Koori Radio. Please show your support for Russell by joining this Cause and help us find a way to "BRING RUSSELL BACK HOME".
written by
Minelle Creed
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