Interdependent Study

More journalists have been killed in the Israel-Gaza war than in any other conflict. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the documentary “Eyes of Gaza” (directed by Mahmoud Al-Atassi), which follows three Palestinian journalists in Gaza as they put their lives at risk to document and report on the genocide and atrocities taking place in Gaza in real time, as well as highlights the necessity and imp...

It is almost time to close out 2025 which means it’s time for our final episode of the year! Listen as Aaron and Damien reflect on the past year of our podcast, and each share our top 5 moments from the show. Thank you so much for listening to Interdependent Study! We’ll see you in 2026! Follow us on social media and visit our website! ⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

The harmful impact of environmental racism and nuclear colonialism on the health and well-being of Navajo miners and Indigenous communities cannot be overstated. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the piece “They Worked Underground in the Uranium Mines. They’ve Been Surrounded by Death Ever Since.” by Sarah Lazare in In These Times, which shares the story and health struggles of a former Navajo ur...

There is so much potential in the power of friendship in our personal lives and in our movement work for social justice and collective liberation. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the book Friends in Common: Radical Friendship and Everyday Solidarities by Laura C. Forster and Joel White (and published by Pluto Press), which explores and analyzes the concept and utility of friendship as a politic...

It is important to mobilize people who are already organizing for and around a variety of issues and harness their energy into the work of prison abolition organizing. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the fourth piece in a six-part series titled “Abolitionist Lessons from the Prison Belt” in Inquest called “Organizing the Already Mobilized”, which features a conversation between Lydia Pelot-Hobb...

We need solidarity across our movements and organizing work in the fight against fascism and authoritarianism and for our collective liberation. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss two pieces in The Forge, including “The Climate Movement Must Be A Movement Against Fascism” by Aru Shiney-Ajay and “Solidarity is the Solution” by Jeremiah Smith, which highlight the connectedness in our struggles for h...

The state prison system in Alabama is one of the deadliest in the nation and a case study for the need for abolition. Listen as Aaron and Damien AND special guest Dakarai Larriett discuss the documentary “The Alabama Solution” (directed by Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman), which exposes and chronicles the widespread corruption, brutality, and inhumane conditions present throughout Alabama’s s...

The Trump administration’s deployment and use of the National Guard and federalization of local law enforcement is a dangerous tactic with a potentially significant long-term impact moving forward. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss a piece in Hammer & Hope titled “Whose Streets? Trump’s Federalized National Guard and the Long Arc of White Supremacy”, which features a conversation between Olúf...

There is so much we can all learn from seasoned activists, scholars, and organizers as we continue to fight for social justice and collective liberation during these challenging times. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the book Read This When Things Fall Apart: Letters to Activists in Crisis , edited by Kelly Hayes (and published by AK Press ), which is a compilation of letters to activists and o...

An important outcome of prison abolition organizing is to help address the political economic geography of unfreedom. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the third piece in a six-part series titled “Abolitionist Lessons from the Prison Belt” in Inquest called “Custody and Power”, which features a conversation between Lydia Pelot-Hobbs, Judah Schept, Ruth Wilson Gilmore, and Craig Gilmore about the...

The key to unlearning lies in community, and we must embrace unlearning as a collective practice in order to fight for collective liberation. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the book Radical Unlearning: The Art and Science of Creating Change from Within by Lewis Raven Wallace (and published by Beacon Press), which explores and analyzes the concepts of radical unlearning and neuropsychology, as...

The hope for real change in America after the election of President Obama was stifled in the wake of racism, vigilante violence, and police brutality. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the sixth and final episode of the docuseries “Eyes on the Prize III: We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest” titled “What Comes After Hope? (2008-2015)” (directed by Leslie Asako Gladsjo), which chronicles the year...

Affirmative action is about righting some of the wrongs of our society and our history. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the fifth episode of the docuseries “Eyes on the Prize III: We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest” titled “We Don’t See Color (1996-2013)” (directed by Smriti Mundhra), which explores the complexities and impact of affirmative action policies in places like California, Michiga...

Despite the inaction of the Democratic Party leadership, the consensus among the base of the Democratic Party is for the U.S. government to end its support of Israel’s efforts to commit genocide in Palestine. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the piece “Democratic Leadership Still Hasn’t Caught Up to the Party’s Base on Gaza” by Stephen Zunes in In These Times, which explores and analyzes the gro...

What might it mean to truly listen to, know, and exist with water in our lives and in our fight for collective liberation? Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the book Theory of Water: Nishnaabe Maps to the Times Ahead by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson (and published by Haymarket Books), which explores Nishnaabeg origin stories to offer a radical reimagining of our collective relationship with water i...

The need for local and regional networks in our mass movements and organizing efforts is huge in order to meet the fascist and authoritarian moment we are in. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the piece "Building an Opposition to Survive the Trump Era” by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor in Hammer & Hope, which analyzes the scale, scope, and impact of mass protests and organizing work during both of T...

It is important that abolitionists and environmental justice organizers fight a common purpose in their work and fight for justice. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the second piece in a six-part series titled “Abolitionist Lessons from the Prison Belt” in Inquest called “Abolition and Environmental Justice”, which features a conversation between Lydia Pelot-Hobbs, Judah Schept, Ruth Wilson Gilm...

The presence and impact of environmental racism is real and has been a long-standing issue in our society. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the fourth episode of the docuseries “Eyes on the Prize III: We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest” titled “Spoil the Vine (1982-2011)” (directed by Rudy Valdez), which chronicles the organizing, growth, and fight for environmental justice in the United Stat...

It could not be more clear that we need a new united front against fascism. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the piece “Where Was the Resistance to Trump’s Megabill of Debt, Death, and Deportation?” by Shamell Bell in Hammer & Hope, which utilizes the resistance to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as a case study to highlight the importance of building an intentional and united coalition of or...

There are countless examples throughout history and around the world of how racial capitalism reproduces and protects itself and white supremacy. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the book The New Racial Regime: Recalibrations of White Supremacy by Alana Lentin (and published by Pluto Press), which outlines and analyzes the attacks on anticolonial, Black, Indigenous thought, life, and praxis thro...

It’s important to consider the need for different strategies in the fight for prison abolition based on the specific region of the country. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the first of a six-part series titled “Abolitionist Lessons from the Prison Belt” in Inquest called “Uneven Expansions”, which features a conversation between Lydia Pelot-Hobbs, Judah Schept, Ruth Wilson Gilmore, and Craig Gi...

There is real power in building and utilizing informational power as a strategy within our abolitionist movements to resist authoritarianism and fight for collective liberation. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the report “Shaping Reality: Building Informational Power to Resist Authoritarianism” by Lewis Raven Wallace (and produced by Interrupting Criminalization), which analyzes recent movement...

It is important for all of us to know and understand everything that is in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to know what provisions are coming during the next few years. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the piece “10 Egregious Things You May Not Know About the One Big Beautiful Bill Act” by Colin Seeberger, Andrea Ducas, and Natasha Murphy and published by the Center for American Progress, which o...

We are witnessing the current administration’s outrageous and harmful efforts to silence dissent and curtail our freedoms on a daily basis. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the piece “‘I Am Not Afraid’” by Adam Federman in In These Times, which analyzes some of the troubling and dangerous efforts by the Trump administration and its far-right loyalists to attack activists, organizers, and protest...

The influence and impact of capitalism across the globe on violence against women, especially with witch hunts, cannot be understated. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the book Witches, Witch-Hunting, and Women by Silvia Federici (and published by PM Press), which outlines and analyzes the root causes and impact of interpersonal and institutional violence against witches and women across the glo...