So You Call Yourself An Abolitionist?

There is no identity in activism without action. It is right there in the prefix; act: which means to move in motion based off decisions, beliefs, or emotions. It is important when aligning yourself with a cause to champion that introspection and accountability are being applied rigorously. That is part of the work. Social media may have led us to believe that #abolition #defundthepolice are enough to know which side of the fight you are on. Certainly the empire will not fall with a hashtag. There must be action, movement, discipline, and consistency even in the discomfort, even in the unpopular, and most definitely when #abolition is no longer trending. After all, these are real lives that are affected.

When I decided to devote my life and my art to prison abolition, there weren’t open arms and bullet proof vests handed to me by my Black Panther-esque comrades. There weren’t secret meetings and immediate tunnel vision. In fact, nothing really changed. I was left to wonder why? All I was left with was questions. What now? Where do I go? How do I contribute in tangible and emotional ways to the dismantling of systems that I have fallen prey to? And most importantly who do I have to look to for community? Starting with what I know to be true: Freedom is not a human right with which another flawed individual should, nor has the power to take away, my first responsibility was education. I began to learn about the prison industrial complex and its ties to every other oppressive system on a global scale. If I were to make any actionable efforts and be an asset to anything I choose to align myself with in this fight, I must first educate myself. When the Black Panthers first formed on October 15, 1966, it was imperative that every member go through an educational program. The belief is, the only way for a caged bird to escape is for them to first understand the constructs of the cage in which they are trying to escape from. This information will never be provided by the oppressor/owner of said bird. This is knowledge that is solely the responsibility of the bird to seek.

Naturally as I acquired more information I began to analyze my own life and the ways in which I was unknowingly participating in the perpetuation of the carceral state. Accountability is where it gets hard. Once you know the information you must apply the information. In fact, you no longer have the choice ignorance provides. At least not with a strong moral compass you don’t. How was I contributing to the carceral state? More importantly, how was I benefiting from it? After all it is ingrained in our society as the norm and even moreso a necessity; as a place to remove the “bad guys” from the freedom of society. Surely each one of us play a role in that. One of the first companies to begin profiting off of the corporation of prison labor was Nike. As a gym enthusiast, 90% of my wardrobe was Nike; as a newfound abolitionist I found this contradictory, requiring my attention. I had to confront myself with the belief that I cannot champion and possibly become a martyr for the abolition of prisons while fiscally sewing in to the fabric of prison labor that many corporations are invested in. It just doesn’t make sense. As much sense as being an abolitionist voting a reformist into the Oval office. The hypocrisy is daunting and blasphemous.

My friend tells me that perhaps people so blindly throw their power behind voting because then they don’t have to deal with the daily accountability of self governance and maybe this is what she is talking about. The fact that I need new workout shoes but because I have a moral and ethical obligation to my principles that I must intentionally seek out businesses that do not overtly or implicitly perpetuate the very systems that I am fighting to abolish. This work is not comfortable; but what is liberation without sacrifice?

What personal sacrifices have you made for the greater good? If you call yourself an abolitionist how have you analyzed the ways in which the system is created and the role you serve in the continuance? If you seek to abolish something, surely you would not want to contribute to its succession? How do you purge the beliefs, thoughts, and actions that don’t serve the liberation movement? This self governance is what keeps us aware and noble. Even as we fight for what is right we will still fall short in harmony with our fight. That is just how parasitic these oppressive systems are. We will always be made aware of the oppressive actions that arise as a byproduct of the viral systems we are seeking to eradicate. As an abolitionist, what are you going to do about it?