The NLG’s Week of Abolition was an amazing success, with over 30 law school NLG chapters across the country hosting 100+ events! Events ranged from political prisoners, to how to be a Legal Observer, and how to embody and materially imagine a world free of prisons.
We wanted to share a few of the events that our law school chapters did, and celebrate them! This incredible work is only possible by the dedication that this next generation of movement lawyers and workers have, in advocating for abolition and the liberation of all peoples.
The NLG National Office hosted “The Ethics of Assisting Incarcerated People With Collective Action, A Week of Abolition Webinar Featuring Daniel J. Canon” on Thursday, March 7th. The webinar explores ethical issues pertaining to an attorney’s role in assisting incarcerated clients with collective action, including striking within prisons.
American Washington College of Law
The NLG Chapter hosted events all week and centered their events around political prisoners, and the connection between the genocide in Palestine and the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.S.
Boyd Law
Boyd Law NLG’s Abolition Week hosted a Mass Incarceration Panel and hosted a showing of the film “Modern Day Slavery”.
Capital Law
This year for Week of Abolition 2024, NLG Capital Law hosted Brooke Burns, the Chief Counsel of the Juvenile Department of the Ohio Public Defender for a discussion on Youth Mass Incarceration.
Cardozo Law
Cardozo Law school held a discussion where former NLG president Dr. Elena Cohen spoke about her work on political prisoners and abolition.
Case Western Law
Case Western Law NLG held events related to political prisoners in accordance to the theme “Political Prisoners: Free Them All”.
Chicago-Kent Law
Chicago-Kent Law held a Legal Observer training, wrote letters in solidarity to #StopCopCity detainee John ‘Jack’ Mazurek, and learned from first-hand experiences of individuals targeted and detained for their political beliefs.
Cleveland State University Law
Cleveland State University held events such as Liberation Lab: Lessons From the Modern Abolitionist Movement; The Duty of Dissent in a State of Injustice; Building Worlds Not Jails: Panel Discussion & Film Screening; Community teach-in, 3 learning block format with 12 workshops offered, including a virtual legal observer and a KYR training
Denver Law
Denver Law NLG hosted several events related to political prisoners and harm reduction. They also held an event about the book “Rattling Cages: Oral Histories of North American Political Prisoners”. You can watch a recording of the event:
Drexel Law
Drexel Law will kick things off with our second annual quizzo night at tattooed moms. All proceeds go to Palestine legal!
Then on Wednesday join professionals from the Defenders Association, the Juvenile Law Center, and Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity to talk about careers in public interest. There will be a happy hour directly after to mingle and network!
On Thursday join them for a panel to discuss political prisoners, activism, and how to be involved in abolition as law students!
Fordham Law
Fordham Law NLG hosted events that link current U.S. political prisoners, with Palestinian political prisoners. Other events focused on the school to prison pipeline, and gender justice.
Harvard Law
In solidarity with the National Week of Abolition, the Harvard Law School Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild presented a slate of abolitionist events during the week of March 4th, 2024.
They included events on prison aboltion and queer liberation, abolishing imperialism, and about the Stop Cop City movement.
Loyola Law
Loyola NLG’s Week of Abolition, led a discussion with Professor Armstrong unveiling the truths of the Louisiana prison system, a film screening in collaboration with @loynoblsa, & a trip to Angola, Louisiana’s state penitentiary, and a tour of the facility.
Moritz Law
Moritz Law NLG hosted events such as, a Bake Sale for Central Ohio Freedom Fund, Intro to Prison Correspondence Letter Writing Workshop, Keynote Address on Palestinian Political Prisoners ft. Jana Al-Akhras
New England Law
The New England Law chapter of the NLG held tabling events, as well as Zoom meetings with the New England Innocence Project Professor Siegel. They also held a movie night screening of “Just Mercy”.
New York Law School
this years topic of focus is Free Them All: Abolition and Political Prisoners. Join us this Thursday for a viewing a Tomorrow’s Freedom— the story of Marwan Barghouti, who has been a political prisoner since 2002.
Pace Law
The Pace Law NLG chapter held a panel discussion about political prisoners who were incarcerated for their activism.
Pepperdine Law
Pepperdine Law hosted a special screening of “Belly of the Beast”, a powerful documentary about the reproductive rights violations that occur in the California prison system.
Seattle University Law
SU Law NLG hosted a panel discussion in partnership with @leftbankbookscollective on “Rattling the Cages”, a book capturing the oral histories of North American political prisoners. A project of abolitionist Josh Davidson and political prisoner Eric King, over thirty current and former political prisoners share their experiences and wisdom in this book.
Suffolk University Law
The Suffolk University Law NLG chapter hosted a panel titled: “Razing the Carceral State: A Vision for Abolition”.
Temple Law
This year, the Temple Law NLG chapter hosted panel discussions, a film screening, and volunteer opportunities for students to learn more about abolition and get involved in efforts to challenge carceral systems.
UCLA Law
The UCLA NLG chapter hosted events such as, the Attica Doc Screening,
South African Political Prisoners Panel,
Political Prisoner Letter Writing, “Imprisoned Intellectuals” Discussion,
and a Legal Observer Training.
University of Houston
University of Houston chapters of the National Lawyers Guild, If/When/How, and the American Constitution Society held a talk by former judge Franklin Bynum. He presented on how to work in the trenches and be abolitionist—or at least remember and not get your brain eaten—and discussed his perspectives on bail reform in Harris County and how young lawyers can advocate for abolitionist values even from within flawed institutions.
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa NLG chapter hosted a tabling event, and an open-forum discussion, where police abolition and the silencing of political dissent were discussed.
University of Massachusetts
NLG at the University of Massachusettes discussed different aspects of the Mass Incarceration Crisis. It explored ways that as future advocates and leaders can best serve clients and communities.
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan NLG chapter hosted conversations about the death penalty, reform in abolition, and alternatives to cages.
University of North Carolina
Here at UNC Law, we have a long history of honoring WOA by hosting speaker panels, teach-ins, workshops, and other events educating students on abolition and challenging the prison industrial complex.
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon NLG chapter hosted events that showcased the film “Judging Juries”, conversations about the death penalty, and abolishing ableism.
University of Southern California
NLG at USC held several events throughout the week, including lunch talks with Gould professors, letter writing to political prisoners, and a Legal Observer training.
Wayne State Law
This year, the Wayne Law chapter is hosted author, educator, entrepreneur, and social activist Yusuf Shakur for a speaker event.
William and Mary Law
William and Mary Law NLG held events about abolitionist lawyering, activists in the prison and police abolition movements, and how people can get involved in dismantling the carceral state!
