Gendercast Episode 27:  The Prison Industrial Complex; Roots in Slavery:  Interview with Walidah Imarisha

Join Sean and Jesse for our interview with Walidah Imarisha and discussion of the Prison Industrial Complex (PIC), its roots in slavery and the 2.7 MILLION people in prison now in the US.  We will discuss the concept of borders around identity, around physical bodies, and how it is especially harmful to trans people of color.  Walidah will also cover the Black Codes and mass incarceration of people of color. We discuss prison abolition vs. criminal justice/prison reform strategies and how some abolition theory and work is coming out of queer/trans youth of color communities.

Guest Bio

Walidah Imarisha is a writer, organizer, educator and performance poet. She is one half of the poetic duo Good Sista/Bad Sista. She has shared the stage with Kenny Muhammad of the Roots, Chuck D, Saul Williams, war resister Stephen Funk, Ani DiFranco, John Irving, dead prez and organizer and revolutionary Yuri Kochiyama. Her work has appeared in dozens of publications, including the hip hop anthology Total Chaos. Walidah has facilitated poetry and journalism workshops third grade to twelfth, in schools, community centers, youth detention facilities, and women’s prisons. She directed and co-produced the Katrina documentary Finding Common Ground in New Orleans. She has taught in the Portland State University’s Black Studies Department, Oregon State University’s Women’s Studies Department and Southern New Hampshire University’s English Department.

Links

Walidah's website and facebook page

Info on Black Codes

The books, The New Jim Crow, Slavery By Another Name, Queer (In)Justice and Captive Genders: trans embodiment and the prison industrial complex

The Audre Lorde Project Safe OUTside the System Program

FIERCE

DRIVE

PBS Video Slavery By Another Name

Western States Center

Decolonize PDX (Portland)

Support CeCe McDonald

David Gilbert's book, Love and Struggle and video on Weather Underground

The book, Last One Over the Wall: The Massassachutes Experiment in Closing

Check-in Links

Unequal Opportunity Race youtube video

Debauchery's Community Fund Grant announcement for Gendercast and the facebook event page for the June 21st Debauchery event where we will be presented with the check and a lot of awkward blushing!  Use code Gendercast for $5 tickets!

Democracy NOW June 7th episode about "Stop and Frisk."