03/04/2024
Lighthouse is a queer-owned and woman led independent community bookshop in the Scottish capital Dùn Èideann / Edinburgh. It is are an unapologetically activist, intersectional, feminist, antiracist, lgbtq+ community space. In 2020 they were nominated Scotland’s Best Independent Bookshop! On Wednesday 3rd April, they host a talk by queer women of colour discussing prison and police abolition projects. In a press release from the organising group, the left wing RS21 Group, the convenors of the event report "Shanice Octavia McBean will introduce a discussion on the issues raised in her acclaimed book Abolition Revolution co-authored with Aviah Sara Day. She will talk about the transformative potential of the abolitionist project and how it challenges the logic of capitalism, racism and patriarchy which is at the centre of the state. “There wasn’t a single moment when we became police and prison abolitionists. There wasn’t one event, or a single officer or an individual incident that turned us entirely away from the status quo. Things that come in ones or twos often have sensible explanations, reasons why they’re an aberration and not the norm. And we, like everyone, were convinced of these explanations for at least some of our lives. But we are Black, working class, queer women – the realisation was perhaps inevitable. Over time, the one or two bad experiences with police became threes, fours, tens. The incidents we experienced weren’t just our own, but were the incidents of our moms, cousins, neighbours and friends.” This event is in collaboration with Lighthouse Books, Edinburgh: "Abolition Revolution is a historical, theoretical, and practical guide to revolutionary abolitionist politics in Britain. The authors trace the evolution of policing and criminalization from their colonial roots to their contemporary expression, as found in 'Prevent' and drug laws targeting Black communities.” To local people, the group says "We are seeing harsher crackdowns on Palestine protests, with friends charged for protesting against genocide and for actions against arms factories. So please be there and invite a friend !" https://lighthousebookshop.com/
