Growing Abolition with Timothy James Young

Timothy James Young is a poet, writer, abolitionist and wrongfully convicted man who is currently incarcerated on Death Row in San Quentin State Prison. He has not seen a tree in 24 years due to his incarceration but the students at UC Santa Cruz cultivate a garden with Tim in partnership with Solitary Gardens. Join the movement for Tim’s freedom here.  This conversation is part of a collaboration with our mentor, artist and instigator  jackie sumell and MoMA PS1 which resulted in an exhibition at PS1 entitled “Freedom to Grow“. In the Summer of 2021 the Growing Abolition class produced a series of four podcasts delving into Abolitionist Worldview as part of the course work. In the wider project we explored: What can plants teach us about prison abolition, healing, and expanding our horizons of possibility? What would a world look like in which we all have what we need, with networks of safety and support created by and for our communities? How can we put abolition into daily practice, as a process of creating and nurturing alternatives to the structures that harm us?