I'm so glad it feels helpful! Thanks Emma Seligman, lol. (Have you seen Shiva Baby? It was such a throw away line but I was like: THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE ALL NEED TO BE REMINDED OF!)
I don’t even know where to start so I will start here: thank you 💗 the way you so beautifully explore the both/and in your writing creates a momentum for deeper exploration that I am deeply grateful for. Thank you.
You’ve covered so much in such a short space that it seems churlish (esp. for a white (mostly) cis-het male boomer like me) to chime in with “why didn’t you talk about x,” but I’m gonna do it anyway because this manifestation has of feminism is one of the few things to give me hope.
(And damn if this apology for my comment didn’t make the whole damned thing about me, but anyway…)
AFAICT the PIC abolition movement is so deeply rooted in Black feminism that you can’t even slide a piece of paper between them). The line from Barbara Smith to Mariame Kaba takes no detours. And the Combahee River Collective was explicitly anti-capitalist, as is every shade of PIC abolition that isn’t someone’s hustle. And so commies and anarchists get pulled in as well…and amazingly seem to work together well. (I mean, just looking at the key figures in Chicago, Mariame Kaba is a commie and Kelly Hayes is an anarchist, but their close collaboration has been amazingly fruitful). So Keeanga-Yahmatta Taylor (ex-ISO, still a commie) brought out the new CRC edition. And, of course, standing in the middle of this storm for over half-a-century, has been the incomparable Angela Davis. It’s this tradition that helps me haul my old white cancer-ridden body out of bed in the morning.
And of course, without Black feminism, none of this would have been possible. I may be a weak read, but I have comrades of astounding strength.
Absolutely!!! I gave a quick nod to TJ organizing above, but yeah, for sure, I could've spent a lot of time naming exactly what you're describing. I'm teaching a Queer Abolition course in the Spring and after we talk about pre-colonial methods of addressing harm, we'll be rooting the beginnings of this movement in the Black feminists you name above. And I agree, PIC abolition is a lovely space for anarchists and commies to find some common ground....especially since I think the ultimate conclusion that everyone realizes is that there can be no anti-prison movement without an anti-state movement! ;)
This was such a joy to read, thank you. It's bringing together so much that I've been thinking through and so many areas for me to continue to learn. Much gratitude!
It’s a lens!!! I love this. So useful.
I'm so glad it feels helpful! Thanks Emma Seligman, lol. (Have you seen Shiva Baby? It was such a throw away line but I was like: THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE ALL NEED TO BE REMINDED OF!)
no, but i really want to now!
I don’t even know where to start so I will start here: thank you 💗 the way you so beautifully explore the both/and in your writing creates a momentum for deeper exploration that I am deeply grateful for. Thank you.
Glad to be doing the both/and in IRL radical spaces with you, femme! <3
You’ve covered so much in such a short space that it seems churlish (esp. for a white (mostly) cis-het male boomer like me) to chime in with “why didn’t you talk about x,” but I’m gonna do it anyway because this manifestation has of feminism is one of the few things to give me hope.
(And damn if this apology for my comment didn’t make the whole damned thing about me, but anyway…)
AFAICT the PIC abolition movement is so deeply rooted in Black feminism that you can’t even slide a piece of paper between them). The line from Barbara Smith to Mariame Kaba takes no detours. And the Combahee River Collective was explicitly anti-capitalist, as is every shade of PIC abolition that isn’t someone’s hustle. And so commies and anarchists get pulled in as well…and amazingly seem to work together well. (I mean, just looking at the key figures in Chicago, Mariame Kaba is a commie and Kelly Hayes is an anarchist, but their close collaboration has been amazingly fruitful). So Keeanga-Yahmatta Taylor (ex-ISO, still a commie) brought out the new CRC edition. And, of course, standing in the middle of this storm for over half-a-century, has been the incomparable Angela Davis. It’s this tradition that helps me haul my old white cancer-ridden body out of bed in the morning.
And of course, without Black feminism, none of this would have been possible. I may be a weak read, but I have comrades of astounding strength.
Absolutely!!! I gave a quick nod to TJ organizing above, but yeah, for sure, I could've spent a lot of time naming exactly what you're describing. I'm teaching a Queer Abolition course in the Spring and after we talk about pre-colonial methods of addressing harm, we'll be rooting the beginnings of this movement in the Black feminists you name above. And I agree, PIC abolition is a lovely space for anarchists and commies to find some common ground....especially since I think the ultimate conclusion that everyone realizes is that there can be no anti-prison movement without an anti-state movement! ;)
This was such a joy to read, thank you. It's bringing together so much that I've been thinking through and so many areas for me to continue to learn. Much gratitude!
Thank you, Kelly! Would love to have an irl conversation about it more sometime --- lots more to think through!
Femme! How do you feel about your newsletter works being shared? This essay would be such a great resource for my feminist theory students!!
I'd be honored if you shared it with your class! <3
whew, this lands so deeply. thank you 🙏
Thank you for reading! I’m glad it resonated 💗
I celebrate the clarity and beauty of your writing. Such a pleasure to read.
Thank you so much, Jack. It truly means a lot!