Remembering the antecedents of today’s abolitionist movement. With Daniel Minter, co-founder of Indigo Arts Alliance, Lydia Moland, Professor of Philosophy at Colby College, and Kate McMahon, National Museum of African American History and Culture. Moderated by Marcelle Medford, Professor of Sociology at Bates College. 

The Freedom & Captivity Podcast presents conversations with people at the forefront of abolitionist organizing and visioning in Maine. A new episode is launched weekly during fall 2021. The episodes will cover a broad range of issues, from abolition’s history in Maine to current calls to end youth incarceration; from alternatives to punishment that prioritize harm reduction and a different approach to drug policy to the impact on families of the criminal legal system; from the disproportionate policing experiences by Black and brown people to the use of surveillance to monitor political dissent. The Portland Media Center sponsors the podcast, which is produced by Catherine Besteman, edited by sound engineers Josh Riddle and Dino Raymond, and accompanied by the music of Samuel James.

Stream the episode above or access it via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible, or the Portland Media Center website.

Resources for further learning:

– AtlanticBlackBox.com

– Center for the Study of Global Slavery at NMAAHC

– Mumia Abu-Jamal (2020) “Casting Off the Shadows of Slavery: From One Struggle to Another. Lessons From the First Abolition Movement.” Level. October 26.

– Ruha Benjamin (2019) Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code. Wiley.

– Kellie Carter Jackson (2019) Force and Freedom: Black Abolitionists and the Politics of Violence. University of Pennsylvania Press.

– Lydia Moland (2022) Never the Same Again: The Radical Conscience of Lydia Maria Child. University of Chicago Press.