In today’s show, Chris Lievense, high school social studies teacher in Vermont and Kelly Junno 3rd grade teacher in Western Massachusetts, and Spark faculty, share with us their insights from the 2025 Socialism conference in Chicago and how those lessons are applicable to their work as K-16 educators.
A major theme Kelly and Chris found at the conference was, how does the progressive left recapture the narrative. Fascist can’t win unless they capture education and the narratives around it that normalize injustice. How does the progressive left ask for the unimaginable. How do we ask for a better world where we don’t have prisons, where we don’t spend billions of dollars and billions of lives to have them and instead ask for what are the kinds of care we need and what are the things that we need to meet, at minimum, the basic needs for people: food, clothing, shelter, health, education, transportation. How do we bring the majority of people in the United States along with the possibilities of abolition. Most Americans can’t imagine an abolitionist society. How do we as educators change the conversation which then changes the narrative around this and make it imaginable? Most importantly that Capitalism can’t solve capitalism
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In today’s show, Chris Lievense, high school social studies teacher in Vermont and Kelly Junno 3rd grade teacher in Western Massachusetts, and Spark faculty, share with us their insights from the 2025 Socialism conference in Chicago and how those lessons are applicable to their work as K-16 educators.
A major theme Kelly and Chris found at the conference was, how does the progressive left recapture the narrative. Fascist can’t win unless they capture education and the narratives around it that normalize injustice. How does the progressive left ask for the unimaginable. How do we ask for a better world where we don’t have prisons, where we don’t spend billions of dollars and billions of lives to have them and instead ask for what are the kinds of care we need and what are the things that we need to meet, at minimum, the basic needs for people: food, clothing, shelter, health, education, transportation. How do we bring the majority of people in the United States along with the possibilities of abolition. Most Americans can’t imagine an abolitionist society. How do we as educators change the conversation which then changes the narrative around this and make it imaginable? Most importantly that Capitalism can’t solve capitalism
Hosts Anna & Chris sit down with Jayna Ahsaf & Jonathan Elwell of FreeHerVT. This show is Part II of our look at Vermont and prisons - from the historical context of VT carceral systems to today's campaign to stop new prison construction. Jayna Ahsaf is the lead field organizer for FreeHerVT and Jonathan an organizer. We talk with them about the FreeHerVT campaign, women in prison, criminalization of certain populations, & abolition.
You can find Part I here:
https://on.soundcloud.com/oT6SmwM8e6F6iPhJ8
Songs:
1) Loretta Lynn "Women's Prison"
2) Wanda Jackson "Tennessee Women's Prison"
3) Lightnin Hopkins "Jailhouse Blues"
Show notes:
- National website: https://www.nationalcouncil.us
- FreeHer Zine: drive.google.com/file/d/11hILxjEc…qg9zTc-8ut3/view
- VT’s website: https://www.nationalcouncil.us/vermont
- VT Landing page (more info & links):
http://the-council.us/freehervt
- Jonathan's article: https://www.rakevt.org/2024/01/04/behind-the-smoke-and-mirrors-the-true-story-of-prin/
- Mariame Kaba’s zine:
https://www.interruptingcriminalization.com/what-about-the-rapists
Indigo Radio
In today’s show, Chris Lievense, high school social studies teacher in Vermont and Kelly Junno 3rd grade teacher in Western Massachusetts, and Spark faculty, share with us their insights from the 2025 Socialism conference in Chicago and how those lessons are applicable to their work as K-16 educators.
A major theme Kelly and Chris found at the conference was, how does the progressive left recapture the narrative. Fascist can’t win unless they capture education and the narratives around it that normalize injustice. How does the progressive left ask for the unimaginable. How do we ask for a better world where we don’t have prisons, where we don’t spend billions of dollars and billions of lives to have them and instead ask for what are the kinds of care we need and what are the things that we need to meet, at minimum, the basic needs for people: food, clothing, shelter, health, education, transportation. How do we bring the majority of people in the United States along with the possibilities of abolition. Most Americans can’t imagine an abolitionist society. How do we as educators change the conversation which then changes the narrative around this and make it imaginable? Most importantly that Capitalism can’t solve capitalism
