💥 + Imagine Freedom: Art Works for Abolition reportback  💥
Joyful news from CR
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Dear Community,
I’m honored to join the Critical Resistance (CR) staff as the Communications Director and would like to introduce myself to you, supporters, allies and fellow travelers of the organization. I come to the role of Communications Director having been a member of Critical Resistance for a decade. I have organized as a CR Oakland member to end gang injunctions, to support imprisoned people resisting solitary confinement, to stop jail construction and to build the work to end the largest SWAT and militarized policing training in the country at the time.
My commitment to organizing against the prison industrial complex has also shown up in my work with the Transgender Gendervariant Justice Project in San Fransciso, where I was staff for four years, supporting currently and formerly incarcerated trans people in participating in campaigns and projects for survival and freedom. I most recently have worked as staff for Interrupting Criminalization, a movement resource for organizers working for prison industrial complex (PIC) abolition.
The events of 2020 have revealed to more and more people the many ways that the PIC is doubling down on violence against our communities. As the Trump regime and neoliberals continued to promote austerity, imperialism and white supremacist violence, the role that the PIC plays in maintaining the current status quo has been put in put in stark relief. Our communities have been outraged at the inhumanity of caging people as COVID 19 rages, the escalation of state repression on everyday people fighting back against the horrors of policing or the expansion of the blanket of surveillance under the guise of security. It is no surprise that the call for abolition lit a fire for immediate radical change during the summer and into the fall.
Critical Resistance has done such important work and we are needed now more than ever. We’ve fought hard and made significant gains this past 6 months in particular under such wildly shifting and difficult social, economic, and political conditions. When surveying the terrain nationally, it is crystal clear that our abolitionist work is part of what is needed to propel our movements forward at this time.
In my new role as Communications Director, I look forward to continuing to struggle alongside currently imprisoned comrades and learn from their organizing. I am excited to uplift the tireless organizing CR members are leading to chip away at imprisonment, policing, surveillance and other parts of the PIC. I am thrilled that I get to shine a light on the work we are doing in coalitions to build projects and analysis that strengthen and fortify our communities and help put us in the best position to fight to win.
Onward,
Woods Ervin
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Successes! Income reportback
* $215,000 in Bids via Artsy
* $9,000 in Cash Donations
* $1,000 in Merch Sales
$$$ goes toward… more successes!
* $115,000 of General Operating Support for CR National & Oakland Chapters
* $57,000 Paid back to Artists
* + Event expenses
We want to express our deepest and warmest appreciation to the artists, Host Committee members, volunteers, collectors, bidders, event guests, and all of you for helping us pull off a wildly successful benefit– a virtual online exhibition, auction and a programming series!
Together we made Imagine Freedom the most successful fundraising in CR’s history! It was 5x CR’s single “event” grassroots fundraising effort in all 20+ years.
Our Curatorial Committee designed a beautiful exhibition catalog, complete with original poetry by Fred Moten, essays, artist bios, and all of the art. We invite you to browse the online catalogue HERE. ([link removed])
Thank you for your support and spirited support. Please continue to engage with the beautiful content developed for Imagine Freedom: Art Works for Abolition.
Curatorial + Planning Committee:
Ashara Ekundayo (Curator) * Hans Kuzmich * Jess Heaney * Maya Futrell * Mieke Marple *Shirley Leslie * T Rasheed * William Ramirez
Imagine Freedom: Art Works for Abolition exhibition
The exhibition is still live on artsy.net/critical-resistance. Please take your time to enjoy these beautiful artworks.
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Imagine Freedom: Art Works for Abolition videos
All of the programming is online! You can view the Artist Talks on CR Facebook HERE ([link removed]) and the other events on CR Youtube HERE ([link removed]-) . (The Youtube playlist has the artist talks from our "Making Abolition Irresistible" webinar.)
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Imagine Freedom: Art Works for Abolition swag
We still have a limited number of Imagine Freedom: Art Works for Abolition special tote bags and hoodies.
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Pick up your's for the holidays from our Critical Resistance online shop ([link removed]) .
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