(4 / 5) Abolition. Feminism. Now – Angela Y. Davis, Gina Dent, Erica R. Meiners, and Beth E. Richie
I picked up this book because I attended the #antiracistbookffest 2022 session on ‘Abolition.Feminism.Now’ this past Saturday 4/30. This is an excellent genealogy of the ever evolving relationship between the abolition movement and the non-white feminist movement over the past decades. The co-authors speak to the importance of a close relationship between these two movements (abolition and feminism) as a way to shift from a ‘crime and punishment’ system of justice to a ‘restorative and/or transformative’ form of justice that heals communities and addresses the initial causes/sources of violence/crime that occur within our society.
I especially appreciated the authors’ candor when they discussed the process of evolution of these movements. They did not view this genealogy through ‘rose-colored glasses’ but rather addressed the ways the movements have pushed forward as well as the ways the movements have stumbled. This honesty about the ‘good, the bad, and the ugly’ epitomizes the ideologies of the movements themselves in that they do not claim to have all of the answers but rather they have an idea/goal for what the future can be and they push towards that future even when they don’t know exactly how our society is going to get there. This kind of courage; the courage to dream of a better future and the courage to fail in pursuit of that future so the next generations can learn and do better, gives me hope and inspires me to do the hard work of creating a better future for ALL people.
Additionally, if you are a person who responds to visual art/graphics you may want to take a look at this book. The author’s utilize artwork throughout this book in a very meaningful way that connects the ideas of the movements to the groups fighting for those ideals.
Read on my friends!
-Haddi
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