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Andaiye, a Black female activist wrote a piece titled “Gender, Race, and Class: A Perspective on the Contemporary Caribbean Struggle” which establishes the issues of oppression, racism, classism, sexism, and the accessibility to power from a different geographical standpoint. In their piece Andaiye points out the fact that “old foundations are crumbling, and new ones are not yet being imagined” (Andaiye,5) setting forth a precedent that changes in terms of how gender, race, and class are viewed in modernized societies and the value placed on an individual as a result of these social constructions is in fact changing. This alone makes Andaiye’s work relevant to the issues that were and still are present in the U.S.. When discussing abolition there has to be an acknowledgement that the root of the problem lies in the hands of the most powerful social institution— the government. Ironically enough, the image above alongside Andaiye’s piece suggest a very radicalized approach to these socially pressing issues. Social change especially for those who remain marginalized even after decades of work being put forth needs to be assessed from a new perspective. This new age of abolition further emphasizes how there is a variety of old foundations that have paved the way for new and modernized approaches to conflicts at hand to be raised. Social activism and the dismantling of deeply rooted systemic concerns cannot be reformed without adjusting ourselves to the modernizations of society. As times have progressed the severity of issues have only deepened calling for more intensified works to be introduced and instilled. As alluded to by  Andaiye,  although change might be freighting it is necessary to see progressive change throughout varying locations to occur.

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Using the Master’s Tools to Enhance Abolition 

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Using the Master’s Tools to Enhance Abolition 

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In order to address the history of abolition there has to be an understanding of the predisposed systems and resources made available to those who are marginalized. When discussing the set of tools or resources that are accessible Audre Lorde’s “The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House” brings forth the fact that alternative methods have to be created by those who are fighting against oppression to produce enough collective knowledge for individuals. By doing so, that will  only enhance an understanding of the type of socially constructed  world we are a part of. Oppression cannot be combatted using the master’s or dominant forces (ie: Whites) tools as those materials were the ones that instilled  said oppressive behaviors on the grounds of racism, essentialism, sexism, classism, and so forth. Lorde’s reference to the Master’s house and tools highlights how these things have been  generated on grounds that praise white supremacy. In other words the social constructions that are embedded throughout society  have been fabricated in a way that are in favor of the dominant forces which is why they have to be used as a guide for anti-oppressive activism that reinforce the ultimate goal of liberation from oppressive binaries and behaviors or more specifically in the history of abolitioning slavery.

Alongside Lorde who highlights the power the dominant forces tools hold over the heads of those who are marginalized, Peggy McIntosh outlines how privilege can further be broken down to on the basis of sex and gender, as men are historically given more power and opportunity than women. Mcintosh visualizes privilege, specifically that of white privilege as a powerful toolbox that is filled with “ … special provisions, assurances, tools, maps, guides, codebooks, passports, visas, clothes, compass, emergency gear, and blank checks'' (McIntosh, 1). In other words, privilege can easily be identified as advantages or special entitlements made available to certain groups of people over others that ultimately sets them up for better success both personally, professionally, financially, and so forth. The extent to which individuals are able to acquire and use their privilege to provide themselves with opportunities and security is dependent on social factors that systematically displace the minority/marginalized groups. With McIntosh’s concept of privilege in mind, Lorde’s suggestions which ultimately were brought to life by abolitionist activism are made that much more powerful as they are coming from a Black woman. The image above is an excerpt from an online news article which the writer Lola Olufemi goes over the history of abolition both in the United States and the United Kingdom by highlighting the feminist activism that took place from intellectuals like Audre Lorde to further establish some form of freedom from oppression.

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Multi-Dimensional Oppression: The Foundation of Abolition

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Multi-Dimensional Oppression: The Foundation of Abolition

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Oppression played an integral role in the implementation of racists, sexists, and classist structures that ultimately led to the establishment of slavery in the United States as a whole. This  is a term used to define constraints also known as social injustices that halt individuals from being able to access the necessary resources to evolve as humans while simultaneously halting their full potential and abilities at an institutionalized level. According to Iris Marion Young, the development of oppression and oppressive behavior stems from the development of prejudices as well as the access to institutional power. Oppression is a structurized control tactic that is not a cause of “tyrannical power” but instead the result of behaviors in day to day living that shape social normatives (Young, 39). This social movement is constantly being propagated at a variety of different institutionalized levels, resulting in it being deemed as structural because although it is cultivated on grounds of commonality, it impacts society and its members at distinct levels.  It is because of this that when discussing how abolition was achieved, there has to be an understanding on the role oppression played (1) in the enactment of slavery and (2) in motivating abolitionists to want to instill institutionalized change. Young’s five faces of oppression; exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism, and systemic violence, emulate how societal injustices ultimately end up impacting individualized groups at a variety of different levels and degrees.

From the beginning of time, social  institutions have instilled oppressive behavior to marginalized individuals to gain a sense of superiority and control. The video above highlights a poem titled “400 Years” which highlights with images the injustices Black people have faced and continue to face continuously. The author and director of the video TJ Jackson not only exemplifies the oppression Black people have faced at the hand of those who stand at the top of the social hierarchy but, they also make space for abolitionists and activists that fought for the freedom and end to oppression. Political and social movements have in some way impacted the changes big or small that we do see today. In an article written by Arthur L. Stinchcombe, he discusses the ideas of freedom and oppression but from a different geographical perspective. Although he focuses his work on slavery in the Caribbean, he makes a great point in expressing how ideas of freedom stem from the “... social and normative experience of its opposite, slavery” (Stinchcombe, 911). In other words, the idea of dismantling oppression by abolishing slavery is defined simply by breaking down the shackles that have restricted marginalized groups for centuries on end and “... as a set of liberties” (Stinchcombe, 911). The abolition of slavery aided in the first step of abolishing oppression and ensuring that “... another 400 years…” occur again (TJ Jackson).

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400 Years: America’s Ugly Truth About Slavery, Racism and Inequality

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Achieving Abolition by Addressing White Supremacy

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Achieving Abolition by Addressing White Supremacy

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White supremacy is at the leading forefront of many racists, sexist, and even classist ideologies as it has embedded ideas of fear from falling far away from the normative. White supremacy has introduced ideas of superiority of the dominant force on the basis of essentialists ideas while simultaneously creating prejudices that ultimately result in those who are deemed as inferior to be marginalized and denied the opportunity of equitable living. In theory, white supremacy is an ideology that counteracts the intersectionalities of society that contribute to its diversity while simultaneously supporting the idea that all races are inferior to the white race. This ideology impacts cultural, social, political, and historical aspects of society and the in which it is constructed. White supremacy uses the differences that are made present throughout the population as a way to instill ideas of subordination. It is  one the primary tools that are used in the United States specifically to redefine the way in which differences can be used to instill oppression and privilege as it varies per what group is being discussed and/or observed.Although deemed a way of thinking that promotes division and discrimination amongst different social and ethnic groups, Tema Okun believes that white supremacy is a culture that ultimately impacts “...all the ways of life… and are passed down from generation to generation”, rather than it simply being marked as an ideology (Lamorte).

When discussing abolition, this was a movement that began during the 1800s which referenced a pristine  “...attention on slavery…” (The Library of Congress). In relation to the discussion of abolition, culture becomes a powerful yet mysterious instrument that although it may be “...difficult to name or identify”, it is established on the basis of very specific characteristics and/or attributes which ultimately make it what it is (Okun,1). In their piece “White Supremacy Culture”, Okun suggests that white supremacy culture conditions individuals to behave a certain way as a result of the predisposed ideas and beliefs that are instilled in them. They also suggest that although white supremacy is labeled based on behaviors that stem from institutionalized racism, it is not behaviors or mind sets that are exclusive to one specific prototype of individuals. However, given the impact intersectionality and marginalization have on how society is constructed, this opens the door for questioning on whether or not  the ideological bases of white supremacy can cause it to become prevalent throughout different social and ethnic groups, hence contributing to the deconstruction of slavery and aiding in abolitionists movements. The image above highlights in a way Okun’s beliefs in relation to abolition as it excerpts  the way in which although white supremacy is created on ideas that idolizes the white dominant force, there are white supremacists ideas present both in the inferior party (ie: the marginalized people of color) and the dominant party (ie: the whites). The idea of unity to achieve the ultimate goal of abolitionists– “... racial equality and justice” plays hand in hand with Okun’s belief of how white supremacy although targets specific demographics of individuals does in fact impact everyone in some way or another (The Library of Congress).