Interdependent Study

Abolition and community-based responses to harm are critical to our collective liberation. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the resource “Transformative Justice Knows No Borders: Learning from Community-Based Responses to Harm Around the World” by Melanie Brazzell and published by Interrupting Criminalization, which shares lessons learned from the May 2023 “Practicing for an Abolitionist World”...

The 1985 MOVE bombing in Philadelphia was a stunning and tragic incident and violation of civil and human rights. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the documentary Let the Fire Burn: Tragedy in Philadelphia (directed and produced by Jason Osder), which is a found-footage film that chronicles the longtime feud between the city of Philadelphia and the Black liberation organization MOVE which culmin...

Abolition, #defund, and the work and fight for collective liberation are necessary in order to build a better world for all of us. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the book Defund: Conversations toward Abolition by Calvin John Smiley, which is a collection of conversations between Smiley and several abolitionist organizers and leaders reflecting on various aspects of the defund movement and how...

As the general election approaches, what’s happening in Louisiana is a testing ground for repressive, fascist legislation and oppression. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the piece “Louisiana is the blueprint for further fascist repression” by Gabrielle A. Perry in Scalawag, which outlines and analyzes the impact of some of the alarming fascist legislation in the state and the far-right politica...

The Uncommitted Movement is strong, committed, and not going anywhere. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the piece “Spurned by the DNC, the Uncommitted Movement Staged a Sit-in” by Eman Abdelhadi in In These Times, which analyzes the Democratic National Convention’s decision to refuse to allow a vetted speech by a Palestinian to be given on the DNC stage, and outlines what the Uncommitted Movemen...

Protests are often an effective tool as part of any strategy for social movements. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the pieces “Why protests work, even when not everybody likes them” and “How to make sure your disruptive protest helps your cause” by Mark Engler and Paul Engler in Waging Nonviolence, which outline how movements can understand and harness the polarizing effects of protest and use...

There are many similarities between student organizing and protests against South African apartheid in the 1980s and the student organizing and protests against the genocide in Palestine today. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss a piece in Hammer & Hope titled “My Time Organizing on Campus Against Apartheid in South Africa” by Barbara Ransby, which details her experience as a young college org...

Palestinian resistance is connected to all struggles for peace and liberation around the world. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the book Their Borders, Our World: Building New Solidarities with Palestine, edited by Mahdi Sabbagh, which is a collection of essays that connect Palestinian resistance with global freedom struggles against settler colonialism and advances the power of the practice of...

“Building skilled, coordinated, expansive, and robust ecosystems of collective care is only becoming more and more essential to our collective survival.” Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss “Mapping Community Ecosystems of Collective Care”, an Interrupting Criminalization toolkit written by Shannon Perez-Darby and Andrea J. Ritchie, which provides resources, activities, strategies, and best practic...

“The evolution of US cities always happens on the back of Black communities.” Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the documentary Barry Farm: Community, Land & Justice in Washington, DC, directed by Sabiyha Prince and Samuel George, which chronicles the history of the African American community known as Barry Farm, as well as the lives of its generations of residents and plans for and impact of...

The organizing and civil disobedience taking place on college campuses across the country is not going away anytime soon. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the piece "The Crackdown on Campus Protests is Just Beginning" by Adam Federman in In These Times, which highlights and analyzes how higher education institutions across the country have changed their policies on demonstrations in re...

There’s so much to learn from history, especially Indigenous history and movements, in our present day activism and fight for collective liberation. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the piece “Indigenous Resistance is Post-Apocalyptic”, which is a discussion between Nick Serpe and Nick Estes about Estes’ book Our History Is The Future about the connections between the history of resistance to se...

“Prison abolition is not a fad, any more than it is a distant, utopian farce. It is a practical organizing praxis that is making a difference today.” Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the book How To Abolish Prisons: Lessons from the Movement Against Imprisonment by Rachel Herzing and Justin Piché, which examines the evolution, strategies, and work of the grassroots movement for prison abolition...

The Lakota tribe continues to fight to protect their sacred land in the Black Hills to this day. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the documentary Lakota Nation vs. United States, directed by Jesse Short Bull and Laura Tomaselli, which chronicles the history and lived experiences of the Lakota tribe and Indigenous communities in the United States as well as their fight to reclaim control of the B...

We need to do all we can to eliminate poverty in this country. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the piece “The Rise of Poverty Inc." by Anne Kim in The Atlantic, which explores how poverty and helping the poor has become big business in the United States, and “Places across the U.S. are testing no-strings cash as part of the social safety net" by Jennifer Ludden in NPR, which highlight...

The book Solidarity: The Past, Present, and Future of a World-Changing Idea ends with the statement: “Solidarity is the only thing that can save us.” Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the second half of the book Solidarity: The Past, Present, and Future of a World-Changing Idea by Leah Hunt-Hendrix and Astra Taylor, which surveys and analyzes how transformative solidarity has been used around the...

Transformative solidarity is a powerful strategy that can be helpful in our fight for social change. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the first half of the book Solidarity: The Past, Present, and Future of a World-Changing Idea by Leah Hunt-Hendrix and Astra Taylor, which surveys and analyzes how transformative solidarity has been used around the world as a strategy for organizing and fighting f...

We must continue to fight for a public health system that centers abolition in its efforts for the health and well-being of all of us. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the piece “For the People’s Health” by Cristian Farias in Inquest, which analyzes how and why abolition and public health must go hand in hand and outlines some examples of abolitionist organizing for public health throughout hist...

The war in Sudan that’s been taking place for the past year is a crisis that is not getting enough news coverage. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the piece “Sudan’s conflict hits the 1-year mark, sparking fears of repeated atrocities” by Kate Bartlett in NPR and an episode of The Listening Post on Al Jazeera called “Sudan: A savage war and toxic information battle”, which provide information an...

There will be no justice for any of us unless there is justice for the Palestinian people. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the piece “Angela Davis: Standing with Palestinians” by Angela Davis in Hammer & Hope, which shares her brilliant reflections on the past 60+ years of the state of Israel and Palestine’s relationship with one another and the globe, as well as the movement and organizing...

We must protect all of our rights, especially our right to protest, at all costs. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the piece “The War on Protest” by Adam Federman in In These Times, which analyzes the recent rise in political repression and the government’s criminalization of dissent, protest, and social movements, and what we learn and take away from this piece as pressing imperatives for our w...

We all deserve to live in a world where we collectively have everything we need to live and thrive. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the book Practicing New Worlds: Abolition and Emergent Strategies by Andrea J. Ritchie, which analyzes the concept of emergent strategies and current abolitionist practices and explores how emergent strategies can help us to focus organizing efforts to create a wor...

Community-based public safety is essential to providing our communities and people with the resources they need to live and thrive. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the Healing and Justice Center’s 2023 Annual Report, which outlines the organization’s efforts to enact true community-based public safety initiatives in Miami, and what we learn from the Healing and Justice Center’s work in our cont...

We must have the courage to stand up for what’s right regarding Palestine. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the piece “The Courage to Disagree” by Derecka Purnell in Hammer & Hope, which analyzes how Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s words and beliefs have been used by leaders and politicians to advance their own social and political agendas, especially in regards to Israel and Palestine, an...

Here's a brief solo episode from Aaron where he discusses the targeted bombings of the World Central Kitchen staff members, the man-made famine, and continuing to take action for a ceasefire and for freedom for Palestinians. Jewish Voice for Peace A-15 Economic Blockade World Central Kitchen Follow us on social media and visit our website! ⁠Patreon⁠ , ⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...