There's a new volume of James Baldwin's collected novels coming out this winter from the Library of America. The above is Daryl Pinkney's characterization of these novels; here's a link to an interview with him about editing Baldwin's last four novels.

Thursday, December 31, 2015

https://www.themarshallproject.org/2015/12/29/watch-alvin-ailey-dancers-rehearse-a-piece-about-being-locked-up?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sprout&utm_source=facebook#.JYjne81fe

on disseminating information about antiblackness,
on the transformative power of information,
on the power of #blacklivesmatter

introduction

i'd like to begin first by saying that this "essay" very much got away from me. there is so much in the black lives matter movement that can (and should) be discussed and circulated. i very much got caught up with the idea of a neo-liberal future, of black love, and with social media... honestly, the examination of this movement could have likely become a dissertation... but this is an attempt to connect some of these ideas.

as i began to read phillips’ book, i quickly grew weary of his style of questioning. he sets the stage with his question, “what is insanity?” by not coming forth with a solid definition. since sanity is something dealing with the disability community, i’ll use a common phrase to frame the conversation – “nothing about us without us.” phillips instantly gives ‘equal’ weight to all participants rather than putting personal experience at the forefront with someone who has psychosis or other more “severe” mental illnesses that cause individuals to be labeled as “insane” or “crazy” – which, by the way, are often used as slurs. by giving ‘equal’ weight to all voices in such a conversation, he allows for the continuation of the already common oppressive ideas held by larger society.

part of the purpose of prisons in their current ideal, form according to most individuals, is to rehabilitate deviant individuals. prisons are now more frequently called ‘correctional facilities’ in this vein of this rehabilitation ideology, alongside deterrence and isolation. this lie – that the prison-industrial complex is separate from maintaining authority and creating political gain, and is instead existent for rehabilitation and safety for the general public through “tough on crime” and “criminality” language – continues the cycle of oppression against people of color, poor people, lgbtq+ people, disabled people, immigrants/undocumented people, among others.

http://www.nyclu.org/news/historic-settlement-overhauls-solitary-confinement-new-york

i will here start this paper with most of the notes i took when viewing the mini-documentary Released: 5 Short Videos about Women and Prison.