Petals of Blood, Fruits of Freedom: Sustaining Educational Lifeways for Abolition

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

Former political prisoner, educator, and abolitionist Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o writes his novel, Petals of Blood, poetically thinking of “capitalism and imperialism as being equivalent to a huge tree that prevents little flowers from reaching out into the light” and developing fruits of freedom. Inspired by this radical imagery, this symposium gathers six educational scholars who are educating and organizing for abolition. We begin by critically reflecting upon who and what led us to recognize and interrogate the criminogenic and carceral institutions casting a shadow over our lives and communities. In turn, we honor and share what we have learned from educational lifeways that have sustained, guided, and supported us in dismantling structures of unfreedom and nourishing structures of freedom.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Critical Educators for Social Justice

Chair

• Casey Philip Wong, Georgia State University

Papers

• From Jeet Kune Do to Ukungcweka: What Martial Arts Taught Me About Abolition - Casey Philip Wong, Georgia State University

• Listening to the Lavender Girls: Making Abolition a Sustainable, Lifelong Endeavor - Shena Sanchez, University of Alabama

• Freedom Dreaming in a State of Unfreedom: Teachings From Incarcerated Youth - Julissa O. Muñiz, University of California - Santa Cruz

• "Chasing Freedom in Different Directions": Schooling for Marronage and Abolition in Education - Joaquin Noguera, Loyola Marymount Universtiy

• From Being a Problem to Homies Theorizing Back - Miguel Casar Rodriguez, University of Alabama

Discussant

• Shirin Vossoughi, Northwestern University