Abolition in Practice: Tending Grief in Urgent Times

“Over 500 years of colonisation and extractive behaviour… issues of systemic harm and inequality perpetuated in late-stage capitalism … We have a lot to grieve. Yet in the West, we are living in incredibly grief-phobic societies. Grief is taboo. There isn’t much public space available to be with our loss or feelings that are not “productive”.”GEN Grief Toolkit

In this session, we’ll be spiralling back to grief. We’ll be considering the question: what do we do with all the losses we accumulate under racist capitalism? In a world that pushes grief into the shadows, what can abolition teach us about grief not only as a catalyst for liberation but also, as Robin Wall Kimmerer describes, “a powerful antidote to despair”?

About Abolition in Practice Group

This is a free, monthly, online, peer-led space for Black People and People of Colour * (While we use this language, we recognize the limitations and the charge around these terms and that you may identify with different terms—we want to welcome you in all the ways you may self-define)collectively working toward mental health justice, racial justice, and abolition—whether through activism, advocacy, peer support, or community care. Grounded in intentional peer support principles, it’s a space for connection, reflection, and learning outside of harmful systems.