George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis triggered abolitionist shockwaves. Calls to defund the police found receptive ears around the world. Shortly after, Sarah Everard’s murder by a serving police officer compounded these calls in Britain. But to abolish the interlocking systems of police, prison and border power, we must confront the legacy of Empire.
Abolition Revolution by Aviah Sarah Day and Shanice Octavia McBean is a historical, theoretical and practical guide to revolutionary abolitionist politics in Britain. The authors trace the evolution of policing and criminalisation from their colonial roots to their contemporary expression, as found in laws targeting Black communities. They also draw out a rich history of grassroots resistance, from the founding of the Notting Hill Carnival in 1959 to transformative responses to repressive community policing today.
The Minster Centre is proud to present a live Q&A session with Abolition Revolution co-author Shanice Octavia McBean, in which she will explore how these issues might inform a psychotherapist’s role.
Vibrantly chronicles the cultural and political landscape of abolitionist practices in the UK. Day and McBean weave a powerful array of analysis, histories and voices – from organisers, scholars, unionists and/or incarcerated people – to offer profoundly necessary historical lessons that formulate the pathways that shape our abolition feminist revolutions
– Erica R. Meiners, co-author of Abolition. Feminism. Now.
Shanice Octavia McBean is a Black writer and activist in Sisters Uncut. She grew up in Handsworth, Birmingham, before moving to Tottenham. Describing herself as a revolutionary and Afro-Marxist, she has also organised in anti-racist groups and trade unions.
Book yourself a place for what promises to be an engaging and enlightening discussion now.
