This Is Noelle
Justice

People and Reading Resources for New Abolitionists

People and readings for new abolitionists

George Floyd was killed one year ago today and since that horrific time last May, I’ve only become more committed to my belief that we don’t have to live this way and we can build the world we want. Last year I shared a collection of resources for anyone even remotely interested in PIC abolition and I think this compilation is just as crucial to post today. I included the entirety of the original post below and I hope these sources are helpful for you if you want to learn more about abolition especially as we remember and uplift George Floyd. Abolitionists need as many people as possible organizing for a society in which we can all be safe and nurtured and given what we need to thrive.

Since George Floyd’s killing last month, countless people across America have become interested in defunding and abolition instead of reform. When Campaign Zero opportunists released their damaging 8 Can’t Wait platform for police reform, the 8 to Abolition team quickly delivered an abolitionist rebuttal that has been heavily embraced instead. And while it’s fantastic to see so many people increasingly adopting abolitionist language and perspectives, I’ve also observed contradicting reactions to police violence where people “support” abolition and then call for the arrests of killer cops.

In order to maintain the true definition and study of Prison Industrial Complex abolition—which Critical Resistance describes as “PIC abolition is a political vision with the goal of eliminating imprisonment, policing, and surveillance and creating lasting alternatives to punishment and imprisonment. From where we are now, sometimes we can’t really imagine what abolition is going to look like. Abolition isn’t just about getting rid of buildings full of cages. It’s also about undoing the society we live in because the PIC both feeds on and maintains oppression and inequalities through punishment, violence, and controls millions of people. Because the PIC is not an isolated system, abolition is a broad strategy. An abolitionist vision means that we must build models today that can represent how we want to live in the future. It means developing practical strategies for taking small steps that move us toward making our dreams real and that lead us all to believe that things really could be different. It means living this vision in our daily lives. Abolition is both a practical organizing tool and a long-term goal”—for people who are newly interested in the belief, I wanted to create a collection of resources such as abolitionists to follow, websites, books, podcasts, and articles they can use in development of abolitionist praxis. This collection is by no means fully comprehensive, but it’s a small place to turn to if you decide that abolition is your end goal in fighting for true justice.

People to follow:

  • Ruthie Wilson Gilmore
  • Angela Y. Davis
  • Mariame Kaba @prisonculture
  • Derecka Purnell @dereckapurnell
  • K Agbebiyi @sheabutterfemme
  • Nnennaya Amuchie @TheAfroLegalise
  • Mon Mohapatra @cemicool
  • Micah Herskind @micahherskind
  • Yves Tong Nguyen @yvesandthemoon
  • Rachel Kuo @rachelkuo
  • Eli Dru @BlackTransFutures
  • Jamie Tyberg @jtbrg
  • Heena Sharma @heenasharma_
  • Nathan @n_th_n_

Websites:

Books:

Podcasts:

Articles:

Follow:

You may also enjoy: