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Presented by:
Eve Smason-Marcus
Audience: Community, Educators, Human Rights / Social Justice Professionals, Young Adults (14+) Workshop capacity: 20
A group discussion guided by excerpts from abolitionist writers will provide the context for an art project where we envision and co-create abolitionist futures without police, prisons, and other carceral systems that exist today. How can we create a future where everyone has what they need?
“oppression puts a ceiling on our imagination, and I believe that art can help lift that ceiling off our imagination. ” – Mariame Kaba
An abolitionist future is one that extends justice, that centers love and accountability, that thrives from creative practices, and necessitates a network of mutuality. In order to create new systems we have to practice imagining and creating together. We cannot afford to be complacent in these systems of incarceration, exploitation, and capitalism. We need different solutions and that begins with imagining what is possible and using our creativity to get there.
We are still trapped in the same deadly and exploitative system that Dr. King talked about dismantling. He preached of love as the solution. It takes love and a commitment to justice to build up systems that center collective care and community. Dr. King had the courage to imagine other futures and possibilities where money wasn’t spent on war and policing, where we worked together to build a world of peace, joy, and a beloved community. We need to continue that practice, together.
The first step to building something new is the ability to imagine it. By exploring abolitionist scholars and discussing their work we can start imagining and creating alternative, caring futures for our community. By transporting those thoughts and feelings through drawing, note taking, word mapping, etc… we begin documenting what we need, what we want, and where to start this journey towards abolition.
Eve Smason-Marcus [they/them] was born and raised in Seattle. They graduated from Western Washington University with a Bachelors of Music. Over the last several years they have been involved in various grassroots organizations and campaigns, addressing issues around housing, food access, policing, emergency shelter, worker’s rights, racial justice, and more. They believe in building community power as a sustainable movement through radical self-love, community accountability, transformative justice, mutual aid, art, accessibility, dialogue, education, and abolition.
Materials to bring: Attendees will need to provide their own art materials.