Abolitionist Sanctuary as Both Lens and North Star.

• In Event: Navigating Race, Immigration, and National Identity in Transnational Educational Contexts

Abstract

Commenting on the use of theory, Dr. Bettina Love (2019 notes, “when theories become your North Star, you understand why progress is so hard and why survival is a constant struggle.” As we seek to map and examine the ways that race, immigration and nationality are (have been) entangled in shaping school and society, a key question to consider is “what is our North Star?” Taking up this question, the focus of these remarks are on “abolitionist sanctuary” as a praxis of freedom. Drawing on work being done around P-20 schools and in out-of-school time efforts in the Philadelphia area, Mayorga will share their evolving conceptualization of abolitionist sanctuary as a lens of analysis, a vision, and a guide to politics and pedagogies of resistance, healing and transformation.

Author

• Edwin Mayorga, Swarthmore College