Join us as we host Derecka Purnell, author of Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and The Pursuit of Freedom at the University of Houston for the Graduate College of Social Work’s (GCSW) Social Justice Solutions series. Each year, we invite activists, thought leaders, and the community, to explore action-oriented strategies to affect social change. Purnell’s work invites readers to envision new systems that work to address the root causes of violence and elaborate on the belief that abolition is not solely about getting rid of the police, but a commitment to create and support different answers to the problem of harm in society. 

As part of the GCSW’s ongoing exploration of abolition as a critical framework to help realize our vision of achieving social, racial, economic, and political justice, all GCSW students received a copy of Becoming Abolitionists, Purnell’s widely anticipated and acclaimed memoir. We are thrilled to present our students the opportunity to hear from the author whose work has served to deepen their understanding of abolition as part of their social work education.

We invite the community to journey with the GCSW as we continue learning about the imaginative work of abolition essential to dismantling systems in pursuit of true freedom and liberation for all. And we are excited to partner with Project Row Houses, a community platform that enriches lives through art with an emphasis on cultural identity and its impact on the urban landscape. They engage neighbors, artists, and enterprises in collective creative action to help materialize sustainable opportunities in marginalized communities.

Becoming Abolitionists will be available for sale at this event, or purchased in advance from Kindred Stories. 

DATE: Tuesday, April 19, 2022
TIME: 6:30 pm CST
LOCATION: University of Houston - Student Center Theatre

LIVESTREAM: GCSW YouTube Page