Blog post

We can build a different world

Join us for an event series exploring abolition and mutual aid in the UK.

Verso Books24 August 2020

We can build a different world

We can build a different world is a weekly panel series throughout September 2020 exploring abolition and mutual aid in the UK. This series is organised as a collaboration with Decriminalised Futures and Abolitionist Futures, with support from Arika. 

““Abolition is building the future from the present, in all of the ways we can,” writes Ruthie Wilson Gilmore. The worlds we wish to live in already exist: we can see them in our minds, we can taste them on our tongues. Through mutual aid, solidarity, care and imagination we translate these dreams into vivid realities. Whether it be flamboyant acts of resistance or small, daily gestures of affection, our collective struggle builds our collective power. We can realise our hopes and visions and plans. We can remember where we’ve come from. We can build a different world.

This panel series brings together activists, organisers, academics, artists, thinkers, and speakers for a weekly discussion event exploring abolition and mutual aid in the UK. Our intention is to approach these sometimes difficult conversations with joy and warmth. We wish to celebrate our collective knowledge, indulge our curiosity, and to come together in a spirit of sharing and collaboration. 

Please join us every Wednesday in September, starting at 7pm BST.

September 2nd - Abolition in the UK with Sita Balani, Josh Virasami, Harry Josephine Giles, Amal and Farheen Ahmed.

September 9th - We’ve Always Supported Each Other: Mutual Aid in the UK with Juno Mac, Tobi Adebajo, Juan Fernandez Ochoa, Jodie Beck and Dania Thomas.

September 16th - The Transmission Line: Empire & Abolition with Nadine El-Enany, Gracie Mae Bradley, Kojo Koram, Stella Dadzie and Becka Hudson.

September 23rd - Imagining New Worlds with Layla-Roxanne Hill, Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, Francesca Sobande, Morgan M Page and Cory Cocktail.

All funds from the event will be used in support of the Decriminalised Futures project.