HOW TO STOP A PRISON, HOW TO STOP A PIPELINE: GRASSROOTS ABOLITIONIST CAMPAIGN LESSONS

Instructors Jordan and Mariella will share their experiences as frontline organizers against the construction of prisons and pipelines. Their methodology is grounded in historical analysis of past victories and strategies used across various movements. They will dive into how to build campaign teams centered in care, joy, rest, and commitment to mutual growth in even the most dire of circumstances.

Using slideshows, worksheets, and movement, participants will be encouraged to talk through campaigns in their communities, build visions for the future and challenge the concept of the impossible. Jordan and Mariella will describe their past campaigns as they were: messy, beautiful, challenging, and often life changing. They will talk about power structures often present in movement spaces, patterns they’ve noticed from a decade of traveling and organizing in rural spaces, as well as the big question: how do we win?
THIS CLASS IS AVAILABLE IN PERSON
​AT ABRONS ARTS CENTER:
466 Grand Street, NY, NY

Wednesdays 6-9 PM EST
October 16th - November 6th, 2024
4 sessions +
culminating share out on Thursday November 14th 
$350 Tuition
BIPOC sliding scale available
50% low income discount available
+ $25 non-refundable registration fee

INSTRUCTOR

Jordan Martinez Mazurek (they/them) is an autistic, agender, Latine, grassroots organizer and abolitionist that specializes in building teams and coalitions of ordinary people that win “unwinnable” campaigns. To date they’ve worked with grassroots communities across the South to defeat over $5 billion in new prison construction.

Mariella Mendoza Cardenas (they/them) is an undocumented educator and organizer who has worked with schools, nonprofits, and botanic gardens as a teaching artist, preschool teacher, direct action trainer, theatre instructor, and gardening instructor. They specialize in Know Your Rights workshops in migrant settings and getting lost in the woods with their comrades.
Image credit: Jordan Martinez Mazurek
This program is made possible through the generous support of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA).