ABOLITION ON STOLEN LAND

(F)EMPOWER is a collective of queer feminist cultural workers who understand that we are not free while anyone is unfree. We believe in a feminism that is beyond bars, borders and binaries and are committed to decarceration and abolition. We believe in living. Our abolitionist praxis began with consciousness raising efforts among queer women in Miami, in a collective study space called Liberation Book Club. In this space, we collectively learned and discussed the ways in which Black and poor people are stolen from our communities by the state. Following the Black Radical tradition, we embodied and practiced abolition and solidarity, by participating in the National Bailout’s annual Black Mamas Bailout initiative, pooling our resources to bring two queer Black mamas home in time for Mother’s day and confronting the predatory system of money bail in Miami. Once the COVID crisis broke out, exacerbating deathly conditions inside jail cages, we reactivated our bail fund as a means to provide lifelines for our people. From March ‘til August we bailed out over 30 people in Miami-Dade county and provided them with aftercare for over 90 days. Through banner drops, digital art campaigns, creative actions and performances, we used our creative gifts and talents to create a culture shift in Miami – away from the individualist, patriarchal violence of the state and towards anti-capitalist, abolitionist collectivist and feminist futures. Now, we are engaged in creating community safety away from policing by participating in Miami’s Healing and Justice Center, a coalitional effort led by racial justice organization, the Dream Defenders. We are providing fellowships to formerly incarcerated people, creating spaces for them to heal with the land and participate in creative storytelling. Assata Shakur taught us that we have a duty to love and protect our people, we are committed to doing just that.