Cherise Morris Visits Sonic Watermelons To Discuss Divesting from Prisons and Dismantling the Prison Industrial Complexnnby Reza Corinne Cli...
Cherise Morris Visits Sonic Watermelons To Discuss Divesting from Prisons and Dismantling the Prison Industrial Complexnnby Reza Corinne CliftonnnPROVIDENCE, RI - "Columbia First US University To Divest from Private Prisons." That was the title and topic of a June 23, 2015 article written by Jenn M. Jackson, a writer who focuses on politics, news, and culture as the Assistant Editor for The Black Youth Project (BYP) - where the article appeared. BYP is an organization and multimedia news blog that serves as a "platform that highlights the voices and ideas of black millennials" by working with young people on "producing research about the ideas, attitudes, decision making, and lived experiences of black youth." nnI've been following and admiring the work of BYP for years, and I'm frequently pulled in by their headlines. That was the case in this instance too, but this time I was also interested due to the movement-building I've observed and individual relationships I have with at least a dozen scholars and activists working on "reforming prisons," "abolishing prisons," ending "legal slavery," dismantling the "prison industrial complex," and "ending the school to prison pipeline." nnAccording to Jackson, the actions followed a period in which "Columbia held approximately 220,000 shares in a company called G4S, the world’s largest private security firm, and Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), the largest private prison company in the country." The policy-change, explains Jackson, "sets a precedent regarding how universities in this country align themselves with private corporations." She goes on to say that "[w]hen those business firms are harmful, violent, and exploitative of certain racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual groups, these schools should seriously consider what their financial support for these companies means to students, staff, and alumni."nnWhat does this mean as far as the movement and awareness-raising happening nationally and globally? What are the other trends - historically and currently - we should be examining as we talk about racial disparities in prisons and problems within the prison industrial complex? "And what role do private prisons play in exacerbating incarceration rates and abuses faced by prisoners?nnAt Columbia, it was many students "who protested via sit-ins, teach-ins, and other public displays of concern for the University’s involvement and support for private prisons," so to answer and discuss my questions, I reached out to Cherise Morris, a Brown University student and member of the campus organization Students Against the Prison Industrial Complex (SAPIC). In addition to her organizing work, Morris recently published an informative and artistic zine to provide "a brief introduction to the massive entity that encompasses the prison-industrial complex, its historical legacy, and its modern manifestations inside of and beyond prison walls." Morris also works with a group of community members (including me) who are helping to found the Fred Hampton Institute for Resistance in Providence, in part, to provide community-based Black History courses. nnTo hear the conversation (and my newest podcast) featuring Morris speaking with me and my team during her June 30 visit to Sonic Watermelons, click on the Vimeo or Souncloud link or visit www.venussings.com. For more information about SAPIC, follow @againstthepic on Twitter or facebook.com/studentsagainstthepic. nn***nnVisual credits: nReza CliftonnSophia Wright (in-studio photos)nn***nnMORE INFO:nnBlack Youth Project article on Columbianhttp://www.blackyouthproject.com/2015/06/columbia-first-us-university-to-divest-from-private-prisons/nnSAPIC zine; good info, stats, etc. nhttp://bluestockingsmag.com/2015/05/08/the-prison-industrial-complex-zine/nnFor-Profit Prisons: Eight Statistics That Show the Problemsnhttp://www.truth-out.org/news/item/20880-for-profit-prisons-eight-statistics-that-show-the-problemsnnFree Spirit Media video on nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1X9g-9zPJc&spfreload=1 Less
