Interdependent Study

The United States’ immigration and deportation machine is brutal, dangerous, and hurts all of us. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the piece “The Democrats Will Not Save Us” by Spencer Piston in Inquest, which highlights and analyzes how the immigration and deportation machine in the United States is a bipartisan creation, and as such, has evolved into a deadly apparatus of the government and ma...

There is a lot to learn from Minnesota’s response to and take down of ICE earlier this year. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the piece “Why Was Minnesota’s Resistance to ICE the Strongest Yet?” in Hammer & Hope, which is a collection of articles from local organizers on the ground in Minneapolis highlighting and analyzing what made the resistance to ICE there so effective and the lessons th...

Racism has played a central role in the Trump administration and its agenda, and it is having a dangerous effect on our country. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the piece “White Supremacy in Donald Trump’s White House” by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor in Hammer & Hope, which highlights and analyzes how the Trump administration has weaponized racism and DEI initiatives to distract from the shared...

The migrant, refugee, and immigration crises around the world are the direct outcome of capitalist, imperialist globalization and climate change. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the book Border & Rule: Global Migration, Capitalism, and the Rise of Racist Nationalism by Harsha Walia (and published by Haymarket Books), which examines and analyzes the impact of border policies, globalization,...

It is critical that we remain cautious about and question how U.S. capitalism will function and evolve with the advent and influence of AI. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the piece “Capitalism Without Humans” by Sarah Jaffe in In These Times, which analyzes the role of and reaction to how new technology like AI and autonomous systems are increasingly replacing human labor and are evolving the...

The United States and Israel have launched an illegal war on Iran. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the pieces “US and Israel Launch Illegal War on Iran, Call for Regime Change” by Sharon Zhang and “As Trump Bombs Iran, We Need to Reckon With the American War Machine” by Negin Owliaei in Truthout, which report and analyze the current, ongoing war that the United States and Israel have waged on I...

It is important for organizations to do all they can to tap into and maximize people’s energy in times of crisis to propel our work and fight for justice. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the final piece in a six-part series titled “Abolitionist Lessons from the Prison Belts” in Inquest called “Finding the Opportunity in Crisis”, which features a conversation between Lydia Pelot-Hobbs, Judah Sch...

Organizing is a great way to address the tremendous crises we’re facing, and investing in and supporting organizers is key to its success. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the piece “Our Prescription for Winning: Give Organizers What They Need to Thrive” by Alicia Jay, Kara Park, and Rebecca Gorena in The Forge, which analyzes some of the pressing dynamics and issues facing organizers and the cu...

Black history is for everyone, and there is so much that all of us can learn from it. Listen as Aaron and Damien AND special guest Stephanie Olson discuss the book Black History Is for Everyone by Brian Jones (and published by Haymarket Books), which explores and analyzes how teaching and learning Black history in real and meaningful ways can challenge our understanding of ourselves, race, nation,...

The Trump administration’s plans for the occupation of Gaza are concerning, egregious, and a danger to the future of the Palestinian people. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the piece “The US Occupation of Gaza Is Officially Beginning” by Mitchell Plitnick in Truthout, which outlines and analyzes the Trump’s administration's plans to implement a Board of Peace to govern Gaza and oversee the...

The urgent need to abolish ICE cannot be more clear. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the pieces “‘Everybody Showed Up’: Stunning Crowds at Minnesota Day of Strike and Shutdown Against Ice” by Sarah Lazare and “A Staggering Number of Minnesotans Took to the Streets Friday to Demand ICE Leave. The Next Day, ICE Responded by Killing Another Resident” by Thomas Birmingham and Ari Bloomekatz in In T...

The violence surrounding Black communities in Chicago has been engineered and orchestrated by the state. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the book Engineered Conflict: Structural Violence and the Future of Black Life in Chicago by David Omotoso Stovall (and published by Haymarket Books), which explores how state and institutional violence has targeted, displaced, and marginalized Black communiti...

The funding behind the carceral system has given it substantial political power in this country. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss the fifth piece in a six-part series titled “Abolitionist Lessons from the Prison Belt” in Inquest called “Following the Money”, which features a conversation between Lydia Pelot-Hobbs, Judah Schept, Ruth Wilson Gilmore, and Craig Gilmore about the importance of follo...

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...