Interdependent Study

The notion of whether or not prisons and the criminal punishment system should be radically reformed or completely abolished is worthy of rich and critical discussion. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the book The Idea of Prison Abolition by Tommie Shelby, and consider what we might take away from this wide-ranging exploration of the movement for abolition in the United States, as well as where we go from here in our continued push towards abolition and our work for social justice and collective liberation. 

Follow us on social media and visit our website!

The climate crisis is a social justice issue and one that will require education and action by all of us. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss Part One of the anthology book All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis, edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine K. Wilkinson, and what we learn about the ongoing climate crisis, climate movement work, and environmental policy, as well as what needs to happen to push us forward on the path towards environmental justice. 

Follow us on social media and visit our website!

White supremacy and racism are dangerous to all of us. Listen as Aaron and Damien read and discuss “From Scarcity to Solidarity”, a new toolkit by Showing Up For Racial Justice (SURJ), which is designed to help white people learn about the Great Replacement Theory and other racist, scarcity-based ideologies and what they can do to engage in and with campaigns for social justice and collective liberation. 

Follow us on social media and visit our website!

We must imagine and create conditions and a society that reduces and prevents harm and violence and advances true safety for everyone—a society that doesn’t include the prison industrial complex. Listen as Aaron and Damien explore and discuss “Beyond Criminal Courts: Divest and Defund”, a new digital collaborative project from Community Justice Exchange, Interrupting Criminalization, and Critical Resistance, which offers information and resources designed to help people learn about criminal courts and the criminal punishment system in this country, engage with abolitionist ideas and actions, and organize to divest and defund these systems. 

Follow us on social media and visit our website!

The role and purpose of public education is under attack in this country. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss an opinion piece called “School Is for Making Citizens” by Heather C. McGhee and Victor Ray in The New York Times, and what recent attacks on public education have reminded us about the broad purpose of education on our democracy and society, and the need to continue to invest in education and fight for social justice. 

Follow us on social media and visit our website!

We shouldn’t be afraid to name and call out fascism when we see it. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss two articles, including “Maybe US mainstream media should begin using the term ‘fascism’” by Robert Reich in The Guardian and “Fear of Fascism” by Tom Nichols in The Atlantic, and what we learn and take away from the calls to understand the various elements of fascism, as well as the impact of dangerous language and rhetoric in our society, and what that means for our continued fight for social justice and collective liberation. 

Follow us on social media and visit our website!

We’re ready for part two of this conversation. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the second half of the documentary series “Exterminate All the Brutes”, which explores and analyzes the troubling history and tremendous impact of European colonialism throughout the world, and what the implications of this history are for our present day and for our learning and unlearning work for social justice and collective liberation. 

Follow us on social media and visit our website!

The origins, history, and evolution of colonization, forced migration, genocide, slavery, war, and white supremacy shape our collective history and experiences to this day. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the first half of the documentary series “Exterminate All the Brutes”, which explores and analyzes the troubling history and tremendous impact of European colonialism throughout the world, and what the implications of this history are for our present day and for our learning and unlearning work for social justice and collective liberation. 

Follow us on social media and visit our website!

The term “identity politics” has been co-opted and weaponized and is a victim of elite capture. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the book Elite Capture: How the Powerful Took Over Identity Politics (And Everything Else) by Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò, and what we learn about the concept of elite capture, its impact on society, and what we should consider as we fight against it to build the world that we deserve. 

Follow us on social media and visit our website!

It’s time for part two of our conversation. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the second half of a new resource binder called “So is this Actually an Abolitionist Proposal or Strategy?: A collection of resources to aid in evaluation and reflection” by Interrupting Criminalization, Project NIA, and Critical Resistance, which offers a variety of tools from a range of sources across the scope of movement work toward the abolition of the prison industrial complex. In this episode, we discuss the second four sections—Evaluating Candidates, Public Health, Schools, and Reproductive Justice—and how we can use this incredible resource guide in our work for social justice and collective liberation. 

Follow us on social media and visit our website!