A Different Approach to Justice
By Staff Writer Laïssa A.
The Black Radical Tradition has long dwelled on how best to end white supremacy, and achieve something called Black liberation. Liberation, emancipation, freedom, whatever one may call it–is the goal of many politically engaged Black people. In this essay, I will ponder the possibilities of human rights practitioners taking the Black Radical Tradition seriously, focusing particularly on Black anarchist politics. The purpose is not to propose a way for human rights to decolonize or progress, but for those concerned with human rights to think of the possibilities of other methods of changing the world. What might taking seriously Black radicals look like? What do Black anarchists, in particular, offer in their critical engagement with the state?
In the last decade or so, abolitionist frameworks, specifically related to the carceral system, have reached a mainstream audience in the United States. Abolitionists have torn down assumptions, forcing people to rethink the meaning of justice and punishment. They have...