Danielle Purifoy
Danielle Purifoy is a Black queer lawyer and geographer at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her current research traces the roots of contemporary environmental conditions in the U.S. South, specifically in Black towns dating back to the post-Bellum era. Danielle has also written about the legal dimensions of environmental justice and equity in food systems. Danielle is the Race and Place editor at Scalawag, a magazine devoted to Southern politics and culture, and the Board Chair of the North Carolina Environmental Justice Network.
Presentations from Facing Race 2020
Abolitionist Change Strategy Lab with Durham Beyond Policing Coalition
In 'Abolitionist Change Strategy Lab' we will share stories about powerful experiments in pushing back on policing, jails, prisons, and the ways criminalization and incarceration are hurting our communities while we build the world we need.
Durham Beyond Policing is a grassroots coalition to divest from policing and prisons and reinvest municipal resources into supporting the health and wellbeing of Black & Brown communities, benefiting all community members. In 2019 we organized Durham residents to keep our Southern city from hiring 72 new police officers and invested those resources instead in eviction diversion and living wages for city workers. We'll share the story of our ongoing abolitionist organizing efforts as a case study to explore together.
This workshop will unpack the concept of abolitionist change and will feature stories from multiple sites across the United States. We'll invite candid conversation among presenters and participants about the contradictions, challenges, and complexities we are navigating. Bring your stories! We'll share what's inspiring us and keeping us united even when the work is tiring or heartbreaking.
Speakers: Manju Rajendran, Danielle Purifoy