We Do This 'Til We Free Us

"Mariame Kaba is a humble phenom in the most important of traditions - abolition. What we have in these pages is a wide ranging account of abolitionist theory in action - and that is no easy feat. Through Kaba’s rigorous commitment to humanity, we are reminded that another future is possible. We are fortunate that Kaba’s praxis is accounted for in this compelling and incisive text. For those of us who are eager to bring about a world where Black lives matter, this is required reading."— Opal Tometi, Co-Founder #BlackLivesMatter and founder Diaspora Rising

“I want to say this is a ‘generation-defining’ book, but that feels wrong because I know it will be shaping political imaginations for a century or more. It's generations-defining. This is a classic in the vein of Sister Outsider, a book that will spark countless radical imaginations.” — Eve L. Ewing, author, *1919

“Mariame Kaba’s clarity, firm-but-gentle guidance, embracing spirit, deep creativity, and love of laughter, demonstrate how abolition is, in *deed, presence. Thank goodness for this urgent book.” *—*Ruth Wilson Gilmore, author, Change Everything

"One of the most fascinating developments during this age of Black Lives Matter is how ‘abolition' has been integrated into mainstream debates on how to change the United States. Yet there is still so much not known or understood about the history, politics and practice of abolition-informed politics. Longtime organizer and educator, Mariame Kaba, is one of the most important voices in the emergent abolitionist movement. We have all been waiting on this book! Kaba and her collaborators write with urgency, while imbuing critical insights with clarifying analyses into what it means to demand an end to the reflexive impulse toward punishment that defines much of our society." —Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, author,* *From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation

“Much of the vast living archive that is Mariame Kaba’s amazing career as an abolitionist-feminist organizer, people’s intellectual, movement strategist, and Black freedom fighter, is not in written form. It is inscribed in her praxis: the many campaigns she has crafted, the young people she has mentored, and the organizations she has founded. But in this unique collection of essays, interviews and transcribed speeches, we get a glimpse of that brilliant and powerful body of work, and it is awe-inspiring and instructive: a must-read for anyone serious about the struggle for freedom and justice in the 21st century.”— Barbara Ransby, historian, author, activist

“This book writes a political genealogy of one of our movement era’s most significant intellectuals and community organizers and her people into the record of a feminist and abolitionist Black Radical Tradition. Kaba invites us all into a 500-year clock through reflection, assessment, and celebration of the people who dedicate their lives to social change. Yet again, she teaches us to praise the choir, appreciate vulnerability and be disciplined in service of transforming ourselves and the world in which we live.”— Charlene A. Carruthers, author, *Unapologetic: A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements

*"This is a long awaited book. For the throngs of people who have been inspired by Mariame Kaba’s work, we now have – in one place – her words, her keen analysis of criminalization, her relentless critique of the carceral state and seemingly limitless optimism about the possibilities of social transformation. For anyone who has not yet been moved by her work, the search for a serious discussion of abolitionists organizing is over. At once an urgent call to action, a step-by-step guide to the practice of transformative justice, a collection of inspirational interviews and a few lighthearted reflections, this book will significantly advance radical justice work. *We Do This ‘Til We Free Us is just what we need and it has arrived right on time." *— Beth Richie, author, *Arrested Justice: Black Women, Violence, and America's Prison Nation

*"Mariame Kaba isn't trying to save the world. Instead, this collection of liberatory practice serves as a building block for a new kind of existance, filled with the hum only evolved humanity can sound. Kaba returns questions unanswered; Kaba spirits the flame untethered; Kaba is the water well in the middle of a thirsty town. And in her unyielding abolition work, Mariame Kaba reveals our reflection's purpose. She is generous in offering us a blueprint to save ourselves."—Mahogany L. Browne, author, Chlorine Sky, Woke: A Young Poet's Call to Justice and an Art for Justice Bearing Witness Fellow

“So many of us have been introduced to abolition - or invited into a deeper understanding and practice of abolitionist politics - through Mariame Kaba's words, work, and vision, as well as her brilliant sense of humor, skillful use of Twitter, love of poetry, practice of hope, and appreciation of art. For those of us new to abolition, this book is the primer we need. For those of us who have been on an abolitionist journey, it is full of the reminders we need. No matter where and how you enter the conversation, We Do This ‘Til We Free Us brings all of us infinitely closer to creating a world premised on genuine and lasting safety, justice, and peace.” — Andrea J. Ritchie, author, ***Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color

*"Mariame’s book is a treasure. Beginning with a tribute to her father and her family's revolutionary roots in the struggle for the liberation of Guinea to the countless organizing campaigns that mark the small and large victories of the contemporary abolitionist movement in the U.S. – Mariame demonstrates the importance of history, the urgent need for abolition, and, most importantly, the possibilities for abolition in the here and now. This collection of articles and interviews educates, inspires, and sets the course for future abolitionist collective action. In page after page, Mariame offers her unique and brilliant combination of unrelenting realism and optimism, calling all of us to join in common struggle – one, she constantly reminds us, that we can and must win." —Mimi Kim

“Anyone and everyone who has had the privilege of learning from Mariame Kaba has been transformed into a better thinker, organizer, artist, and human. What Kaba does is light the path to abolition and liberation with equal parts intelligence and compassion, experience and hope. This book brings together the scattered pieces of her wisdom she has shared publicly in different venues so that those who don't have the pleasure of sitting and learning with her can absorb a small part of what makes Kaba one of the most impressive and important thinkers and organizers of our time. Let this work fortify those who are already engaged in the struggle and be an energetic spark for those just starting out on this path to freedom.” —Mychal Denzel Smith, author, *Stakes is High: Life After the American Dream

*“Mariame has the rarest of gifts: the ability to imagine a better future, the skills to help construct it, and the courage to demand it. For years, Mariame has been thinking through some of the toughest questions about society's addiction to punishment, and We Do This Til We Free Us showcases the extraordinary depths of her knowledge about our criminal legal system. This book could not arrive at a better time –as more people become familiar with abolition, Mariame's words are especially critical. But it is not just a book about systems. It…