In July 2017, we launched a reading group in a new type of partnership between CR Oakland members & volunteers and imprisoned activists & writers. The goal of the project is to expand our understanding of the prison industrial complex and abolition, through reading, writing responses, and discussing issue #27 of The Abolitionist: Re-Imagining the Black Panther Party Ten Point Program.
Check out our solicitation letter for more info on the project (also copied below).
Here is a taste of some of the responses from imprisoned writers. Check out more on Prisoner Speak Out page here.
- Robert Chan: “The Beat Goes On”
- Syncere Shabazz: “Visions for the Blackman”
- D. Joseph Chyatte: “Killing the Poor Tonight”
Dear ________________________
Critical Resistance Oakland is launching an Inside/Outside Abolitionist Reading Group to increase our engagement with our newspaper the Abolitionist and would like to invite you to participate. The goal of the project is to expand our understanding of the Prison Industrial Complex and its abolition, through reading, writing responses, and discussing the latest issue of the Abolitionist: Re-Imagining the Black Panther Party Ten Point Program (attached to this letter).
How it Works
We will send you a prompt that you can use to write a response to an article in the Abolitionist, which you will mail back to CR Oakland. In early July CR Oakland members and volunteers will meet to discuss what we learned from reading the latest Abolitionist and the responses written by imprisoned participants. One CR Oakland member or Volunteer will write you a reply to your written response and send it to you. We also hope to publish some of the written responses either online or in print and to share them with participants. This will be the completion of the first phase of the reading group. However, we will consider at this point ways to keep the group going.
If you are interested in participating please mail the attached postcard “Toward Liberation” back to CR Oakland as soon as possible and we will send you further instructions. If possible, respond before June 1st so that we can get you in our first round of participants.
We Look forward to learning with you! In Solidarity,
Critical Resistance, ATTN: Abolitionist Reading Group