Initially published in partnership with Medium as a digital
collection in October 2020, Abolition for the People – the
book – includes a number of new and expanded essays, a reader’s
guide, a new introduction, powerful in-text data visualizations, and
cover art designed by the legendary Emory Douglas, former Minister of
Culture for the Black Panther Party.
Edited by activist
and Super Bowl quarterback Colin Kaepernick, Abolition for the
People is a manifesto calling for a world beyond policing and
prisons. The collection includes over 30 essays representing a broad
array of voices and experiences, including political prisoners,
grassroots and formerly incarcerated community organizers, scholars,
and family members of those killed by the anti-Black terrorism of
policing and prisons.
Blending rigorous
analysis with first-person narratives, Abolition for the People
definitively makes the case that the only political future worth
building is one without and beyond policing and prisons.
Colin Kaepernick,
founder of Kaepernick Publishing and editor of the collection,
stated, “We’re honored to build on decades of organizing and
writing against policing and prisons and hope that this book will
serve as an introduction to abolitionist concepts, histories, and
practices. Readers won’t find all the answers here, but we believe
they will find useful and provocative questions – questions that
can open up radical possibilities for a future where our communities
can thrive.”
Contributors include
Angela Y. Davis, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Mariame Kaba, Robin D.G. Kelley,
Bree Newsome Bass, Kiese Laymon, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Gwendolyn Woods
(mother of the late Mario Woods), Derecka Purnell, Dean Spade, Dylan
Rodriguez, Ruha Benjamin, and many more.
Abolition for the
People is being produced in partnership with Melcher Media, with
distribution by Two Rivers Distribution, an Ingram Brand.