What can we learn from the experience and expertise of Black feminists and others who understand the impact of policing and the carceral system and are creating and imagining a world of care and transformative justice that brings safety and freedom for everyone?  Join us in this five-week circle, developed for white folks, to reflect on the wisdom of long-time abolitionists and those exploring ways to create communities and institutions that support the safety and well-being of every person.  

(The purpose of this circle is to create space for folks to explore what abolition means beyond what we hear in the news, to reflect on our personal experiences, knowledge, and biases about how the criminal justice and carceral systems operate and begin to live into an abolitionist vision by emphasizing building relationships and how we will treat one another. Each person’s feelings and experiences will be honored. This is not a seminar, debate or discussion – it’s a listening and reflection circle - while staying connected to our bodies. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the carceral system, the need to abolish systems of violence, build community care, and practice transformative justice. Some of the folks who have participated in these abolition circles are working together to build a network of solidarity and support with Jason Sole, formerly incarcerated, community abolitionist, with the Institute for Aspiring Abolitionists.