A series of three open discussions, via ZOOM

Building a New World: The Challenges Facing Today’s Freedom Movements

This series of discussions sponsored by Chicago members of the International Marxist-Humanist Organization (IMHO) will explore various facets of the ongoing movements aspiring to abolish the prison and policing system and create a new, non-exploitative society.

Join Zoom Meetings at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82081841098?pwd=RnN2eU1XQkdiY3ZLVmZvNFRPMmFWZz09

Passcode: 058586

Session 1: Monday, Sept. 28, 7:00 pm (Central time):

Race, Class, Gender, and Revolution in Theory and Practice

This is an unprecedented moment, with the rise of a Black-led multiracial movement that has placed American “civilization” on trial. We will explore how we can stand in solidarity with the revolutionary subjects of our day while developing theoretical resources that can point the way to a transcendence of racialized capitalism. We will take off from a recent essay by Ndindi Kitonga: https://imhojournal.org/articles/battle-of-ideas-race-class-gender-and-revolution-in-theorcy-and-in-practice/

Opening the discussion: Peter Hudis, author of Frantz Fanon, Philosopher of the Barricades

Session 2: Monday, Oct. 19, 7:00 pm (Central time):

Beyond the Welfare State: Mutual Aid and Revolutionary Solidarity from a Decolonial Perspective

 As capitalism pushes us towards ecological, economic, and political disasters, people are coming together in greater numbers to form support systems for each other. We will discuss such expressions of this as Cook County Jail Support Mutual Aid and Defund Chicago Police and how they pose a challenge to go beyond calling for a stronger welfare state. We will take off from a recent essay by Brazilian activist Rhaysa Ruas: https://imhojournal.org/articles/covid-19-and-resistance-in-brazil-life-making-memory-and-challenges-in-seeding-an-alternative-future; as well as the podcast “Survival Pending Abolition”: https://rustbeltradio.org/2020/04/14/ep35

Opening the discussion: Alyssa Adamson, active with Jail Support Mutual Aid

Session 3: Monday, Nov. 9, 7:00 pm (Central time):

Restorative Justice and Care-giving in the Movement, in Society, and in the Family

The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the gender and racial gap that defines U.S. capitalism as never before, especially within the family, where new burdens have been placed upon women especially. What is the connection between the family and capitalism and how can restorative justice enable us to confront the alienated human relations that define it? A suggested reading is “Gender and the Family in Capital,” in Heather Brown, Marx on Gender and the Family.

Opening the discussion: Rehmah Sufi

Sponsored by the International Marxist-Humanist Organization

Email: [email protected]