Abolitionist education: Creating liberatory spaces (Encore)

We speak with Swarthmore’s Dr. Edwin Mayorga, who explains how abolitionist classrooms and schools create “freedom as a place” in contrast to racial capitalism. Dr. Mayorga encourages educators to center joy and healing. We also discuss the corporatization of schools that reduces students to their test scores. Schools, as “localized nodes of political power,” should adopt democratic processes that cultivate voice, participation, and collaboration. Overview 00:00-00:50 Intros 00:50-02:30 Abolitionist education 02:30-04:50 “Freedom as a place” 04:50-08:10 Critical racial ethnic studies; the Sankofa bird 08:10-15:30 Decolonizing education; relationships in the process between colonized and colonizer 15:30-22:30 Intersections of race and class 22:30-26:30 Racial capitalism’s impact in the classroom 26:30-33:30 Kensington Health Sciences Academy (KHSA) 33:30-36:25 Teacher as lead inquirer 36:25-38:30 Moving at the speed of trust 38:30-40:20 Modeling trustworthiness for students 40:20-43:00 How did KHSA become a school focused on trust? 43:00-46:15 Making the shift from a more traditional to a more liberatory school 46:15-49:40  Sustainability after school founder(s) leave 49:40-53:05 Relationships of capital to schools: Now and a century ago 53:05-56:15 Education sovereignty 56:15-59:35 Community land trusts as models for schools 59:35-01:03 Balancing autonomy with accountability 01:03-01:06:20 Humans’ relationships with other animals: Moving away from anthropocentrism 01:06:20-01:10:30 Where the joy is 01:10:30-01:15:55 Takeaways: joys, hope, healing, radical possibilities 01:15:55-01:17 Outro

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