Outlaw(ed) Intellectuals: Critiquing Structures of Power from Within

This two-day conference was organized by formerly incarcerated graduate and undergraduate students at UC Santa Barbara whose areas of studies range from literature to sociology and school psychology, and all intersect with the field of critical prison studies. 
The purpose of this conference was to bring formerly incarcerated scholars and abolitionist intellectuals from around the country to gain an understanding of the different strategies that scholar activists employ for conducting solidarity work in different geo-political contexts. Our presenters included UW Tacoma Psychology Professor Christopher Beasley, NYU PhD candidate of history Michelle Jones, Santa Barbara Youth Counselor Ishmael Huerta, community organizer and Homies Unidos Program Director Alex Sanchez, Cabrillo College Sociology Professor Sadie Reynolds, and UC Berkeley PhD candidate of Education Davíd Maldonado. Our keynote speaker was Williams College Africana Studies Professor Joy James who spoke on the politics of abolition and prison work in the academy and how we navigate the matrix of reformist discourse while maintaining a revolutionary praxis. See the schedule of activities for more information. See video of co-organizer Clint Terrell, UC Berkeley graduate and Doctoral Candidate in English at UCSB, discuss the rationale for the conference.