Connecting the Struggles:
Call for Presentations for the Prison Abolition
Western New York Conference
We invite you to join us for the first-ever Prison Abolition Western New York (PAWNY) Conference. The conference will be a regional gathering of people working on issues related to prison abolition and mass incarceration. Our theme is “Connecting the Struggles.” As our theme suggests, the conference will be an opportunity for individuals and organizations to meet up and develop ideas and strategies to build a world beyond prisons.
The conference will bring together activists, organizers, academics, and members of the public who are working on issues related to prison abolition to discuss how we may connect our struggles and develop strategy to create a world beyond prisons. We also hope to highlight the voices of those who are at the frontlines of the struggle against the many facets of the carceral states in which we live and die today, for our lives are built upon the resistance of our ancestors and are haunted by the unchanging root sources of colonial power: the militarized occupation of stolen lands and the racialized labor that was forced to work them. Contributions may take the form of workshops, presentation, or artworks and performances.
We strongly encourage contributions from artists, particularly those currently or formerly imprisoned and those whose lives have been affected by the carceral state, and artwork that expresses experiences of and interactions with the penal system and its effects. We encourage artists to use any medium of their choosing - visual arts, applied design, music, performance, poetry or any form of writing, and more. There will be a gallery show and performance space is available for theater, dance, or other kinds of performance.
Possible topics for presentation include:
Abolition vs. Reform
The School-to-Prison Pipeline
ICE and Immigration
Jails and Bail
Disability and Mental Health
Gender and Sexuality
The Prison-Industrial Complex
Solitary Confinement
Parole
Political Prisoners
Restorative and Transformative Justice
Indigenous Peoples and Incarceration
Abolition Lawyering
Policing
Incarceration and Intersectionality
Submissions should be written in English or Spanish and include:
- Full title of the contribution.
- Names of all contributors.
- A 250 word description of your proposed contribution.
- Email addresses and other contact information for all contributors.
Submission Deadline: August 30, 2018
We strongly encourage proposals from formerly incarcerated people and their families and loved ones. We also encourage proposals that consider the conference theme through the lens of the lived experiences and voices of the directly impacted and trans people of color as well as grassroots organizing that works to end prisons and build alternatives.
Contact us at: [email protected].
Visit: http://www.buffaloantiracismcoalition.wordpress.com.
We look forward to seeing you!
In struggle,
Prison Abolition Western New York 2018 Organizing Committee
#PAWNY2018
posted by Shelley
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