The Beth Zemsky Podcast: Episode 23

Many people understand abolitionism as something connected to the effort to end chattel slavery in the US, something that ended with the Civil War and Emancipation. In this episode of the podcast, I am joined by my friend and colleague, LaDonna Sanders Redmond, to discuss modern day abolitionism as a paradigm for healing our institutional systems and ourselves from oppression.

Our conversation covers a lot of ground – from the somatic impacts of racism and the importance of healing body, mind and soul as vital to abolition and emancipation – to the impact of the resurgence of visible, violent white nationalism on efforts to abolish systemic white supremacy – to LaDonna’s visions of emancipation that include co-ops and expanding systems of mutual aid. And, in the midst of all of this, we also share personal stories to bring these concepts home to show how they live in our bodies and in our lives.

Links:

LaDonna’s TedX Talk: Food + Justice = Democracy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydZfSuz-Hu8

My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending our Hearts and Bodies Resmaa Menaken https://bookshop.org/books/my-grandmother-s-hands-racialized-trauma-and-the-pathway-to-mending-our-hearts-and-bodies-9781942094470/9781942094470

LaDonna’s reading/discussion group: Abolitionist Virtual Community. https://columinate.coop/events/abolitionists