Alan Dettlaff

Please do not become a supporter of punishment because of the person who might be punished. Punishment is a tool of the state that has been used for centuries to maintain oppression - it is never what we should hope for.

TONIGHT! 6:00 PM ET!

Join us for our May book club selection, Let This Radicalize You! And as someone who has been a terrible book club member in the past, you’re welcome to join even if you haven’t read the book.

REGISTER: zoom.us/meeting/regi...

One of the problems with the “lesser of two evils” argument is it perpetuates the idea that there are only two choices. There are not.

Joe Biden is evil and you do not have to vote for him. The calculations of whether he is more or less evil are not relevant.

Yet throughout this weekend, anyone on social media has seen horrifying images of babies beheaded by Israeli soldiers and few people, much less Joe Biden, have said anything about this. I continue to reject the idea that silence is an acceptable position for anyone in a position of power.

Today I’m thinking of the time when Joe Biden went on television to claim he had seen images of beheaded babies, attributing this to Hamas. He was lying of course and his people had to walk it all back.

This is an exciting opportunity for a social worker to be a part of the abolitionist movement. Please help share!

Thank you to the New Social Worker Magazine for this very nice review of my book:

"Alan Dettlaff’s new book should be required reading. It adds to the growing body of literature about the profession of social work and its history of dangerous benevolence."

www.socialworker.com/feature-arti...

Book Review: Confronting the Racist Legacy of the American Child Welfare System

Read The New Social Worker’s book review of Confronting the Racist Legacy of the American Child Welfare System: The Case for Abolition by Alan Dettlaff. Reviewed by Stephen Cummings.

www.socialworker.com

In our latest TOWARD LIBERATION blog, as we continue to read Let This Radicalize You by @prisonculture.bsky.social and @mskellymhayes.bsky.social, I share an initial spark in my journey of becoming radicalized.

READ HERE: www.towardliberation.com

We were disappointed to read an opinion in the New York Times asserting that ending foster care would create an alternate scenario where children are left in unsafe and dangerous situations. We reject this premise.

Read our full statement: buff.ly/44Ld4iM

Letter to the Editor: Foster Care Cannot Provide True Safety for Children - upEND Movement

As part of the growing movement to end the separation of children from their families, we were disappointed to read the article “What Happens When Abusive Parents Keep their Children” in the opinion s...

buff.ly

As abolitionists, we know the world we wish to see cannot be achieved without international solidarity in the fight for liberation.

On this Nakba Day, and in the seventh month of a continuing genocide, we continue the call for a free Palestine. Never stop organizing for freedom.

READ WITH US!

Our May TOWARD LIBERATION book club selection is Let This Radicalize You by @mskellymhayes.bsky.social and @prisonculture.bsky.social. Read more at our latest blog post at www.towardliberation.com!

The @upendmovement is very proud to be a sponsor of the upcoming Black Mothers’ March on the White House. Learn more and take a look at all the amazing events happening that weekend (May 10-12).

www.blackmothersmarch.com

Many have said this before, but it’s important to say again and again. For the rest of time, each of us will be known as someone who spoke out against genocide or as someone who chose to stay silent.

Your job will never be an excuse for your silence.

ICYMI! Our latest blog on the dehumanization used by the US government to facilitate the complacency of so many in the face of geno-c!de.

Plus, attend our zoom check in on Tues, April 30 at 6:00 ET to discuss A Day in the Life of Abed Salama.

REGISTER: www.towardliberation.com

The last seven months have taught us that there is a difference between a leader and a person in a position of power. A leader is guided by their integrity while a person in a position of power is willing to sacrifice their integrity in order to maintain their power.

In case you missed this news, or it’s being intentionally misconstrued as solely about Ukraine, Joe Biden just signed a bill to send $26 billion to Israel.

WEDNESDAY MAY 1st!

Our Power + Praxis Hours are back! Join us for a discussion on the incredible student-led advocacy happening across the country featuring some amazing student leaders. With Network to Advance Abolitionist Social Work, upEND Movement, & USA Pal MHN.

REGISTER: bit.ly/49Nr2S3

“What the protesters did was not endanger their university; they embarrassed it. And for that, they were arrested.”

More evidence that the cops are a tool of the elite, called on to protect their property, their image, and to control a narrative.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Columbia University is colluding with the far-right in its attack on students | Moira Donegan

In her willingness to unleash state violence against student protesters, Minouche Shafik proved herself to be a willing ally to extremists

www.theguardian.com

For #ChildAbusePreventionMonth, Maya Pendleton and I wrote a new piece for the @upendmovement about how we can truly create safety for children:

“Family Policing Doesn’t Prevent Child Abuse. Abolition Can.”

READ HERE: upendmovement.org/2024/04/18/f...

Further evidence that corporate-backed media has a very specific agenda they want you to believe and they use very intentional strategies, down to specific word usage, to ensure this.

theintercept.com/2024/04/15/n...

Leaked NYT Gaza Memo Tells Journalists to Avoid Words “Genocide,” “Ethnic Cleansing,” and “Occupied Territory”

An internal style memo from New York Times editors tells reporters not to use words like “genocide” or “Palestine” when covering Israel’s war on Gaza.

theintercept.com

“Our feminist praxis for academic freedom foregrounds the idea that education is the practice of liberation and is anchored in rebellion as a communal process.”

An important read and call to action.

mondoweiss.net/2024/04/a-fe...

We do not need to share an identity, a race, a gender, a religion, or a country with those who are oppressed to know that oppression is wrong and must end.

My thoughts on thick solidarity in this week’s Toward Liberation blog:

www.towardliberation.com

Definitely. And Joe Bidens personal friendship with the chef.

I’m sure others have said this but it’s important to point out that the lives of the 7 aid workers who were murdered by Israel are no more important than the more than 30000 Palestinian lives who have also been taken. The difference in the public response to this is telling.

This is such a beautiful piece about how simple it is to choose grace over punishment. This seems like the simplest lesson on the surface but it goes so far beyond pencils and the classroom.

www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/giv...

We hope you'll join us at TOWARD LIBERATION for our April book club selection, A Day in the Life of Abed Salama by Nathan Thrall. Read our new post to preview all we have in store for this month.

www.towardliberation.com

We had such a great Toward Liberation meeting last night to discuss Jesmyn Ward’s Let Us Descend. If you’re interested in joining some amazing people exploring how the written word advances abolitionist dreams, join us! Plus it’s completely free.

www.towardliberation.com

Our newest blog post at TOWARD LIBERATION is up now! We hope you'll join us tomorrow WEDNESDAY MARCH 27 at 6:00 PM ET for our zoom discussion of Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward.

REGISTER HERE: bit.ly/3IPSoMx

READ THE BLOG: www.towardliberation.com

Join me live tomorrow on The Critical Social Worker!

riverside.fm/studio/aces-...

In case this isn't the headline in where you get your news, all but two Democratic senators voted last night to send $3.8 billion in weapons to Israel.

"On Ambient Genocide..."

Our latest blogpost at TOWARD LIBERATION focuses on the throughlines in this month's book club selection, Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward, The Zone of Interest, and the ongoing geno cide in🇵🇸.

READ HERE: www.towardliberation.com

As civil rights groups around the country call out the racism and harm in "child welfare" systems and demand investigations into their discriminatory practices, for how long will social work continue to provide its unwavering support to these systems?

imprintnews.org/top-stories/...

Civil Rights Complaint Alleges Minnesota's Child Welfare System Discriminates| The Imprint

Two civil rights groups are calling on the federal government to investigate "egregious and shocking" discrimination against Black families in Minnesota.

imprintnews.org

THURSDAY MARCH 14! If you’re in NYC, I’d love to see you at this event! The conversations are going to be amazing!

When Joe Biden goes on TV to virtue signal all the aid he plans to provide to Gaza, know that this is what’s happening behind the scenes.

www.democracynow.org/2024/3/7/jos...

Biden Admin Quietly Approves 100+ Arms Sales to Israel While Claiming Concern for Civilians in Gaza

While the Biden administration has been publicly voicing reservations over the mounting death toll in Gaza, a Washington Post investigation revealed the administration has quietly approved and deliver...

www.democracynow.org

To everyone who voted uncommitted or for a third party candidate yesterday, thank you for demonstrating what democracy looks like.

Hi all! All of us at SW4P are so grateful for the space we've built together in our weekly Power Hours over the last several months. We're pausing our weekly schedule for just a bit so we can refocus and recenter, and we'll be back soon with more. With much gratitude!

Kamala Harris did not call for a ceasefire. She called for a brief pause the day before major primary contests. This is all just performance.

The United States is now dropping aid on the same country where we’re supplying the bombs that are being dropped on them. This is both ridiculous and horrifying.

On our latest blog post at TOWARD LIBERATION, I shared some thoughts on Aaron Bushnell, Brené Brown, and my ongoing process of recognizing rest as resistance.

READ HERE: www.towardliberation.com

On our latest blog post at TOWARD LIBERATION, I shared some thoughts on Aaron Bushnell, Brené Brown, and my ongoing process of recognizing rest as resistance.

READ HERE: towardliberation.com

Leap day will always be special for me because it was on this day, 12 years ago (3 leap days) that Vince asked me to marry him. I absolutely love that the Dallas Voice still has this link available to commemorate the moment.

dallasvoice.com/ex-tcu-athle...

Ex-TCU star Vincent Pryor proposes to partner at awards lunch in 'a beautiful, touching moment' - Dallas Voice

Former TCU football star Vincent Pryor proposed to his partner after receiving an award Wednesday from LGBT advocate group Atticus Circle.

dallasvoice.com

Thank you to every one of the more than 100,000 Michigan voters who voted “uncommitted” in last nights primary. Joe Biden and the Democratic Party need to listen to every single one of you and your demands. If they don’t, their removal from office will be entirely their fault.

NEW ARTICLE!📢New in Abolitionist Perspectives in Social Work!

"Carceral Justification: Scale Development and Initial Validation" by @4heartsnminds and @DrBrianKeum.

OPEN ACCESS: apsw-ojs-uh.tdl.org/apsw/article...

The Child Abuse Prevention & Treatment Act does not prevent or treat child abuse. It surveils and separates families - families who are disproportionately Black & poor. We can fix this by repealing CAPTA and redirecting its funds to the families who need them most.

thegrio.com/2024/02/23/5...

50 years after the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, it’s time to redefine child protection through a lens of equity and support

By broadly defining abuse and neglect, CAPTA enabled the creation of a punitive child welfare system that conflated poverty with parental neglect.

thegrio.com

Join me and @connease on Wednesday 2/28 for our TOWARD LIBERATION book club discussion of Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward! All are welcome.

REGISTER: www.towardliberation.com

Join us on Wednesday 2/28 for our TOWARD LIBERATION book club discussion of Let Us Ascend by Jasmyn Ward! All are welcome.

REGISTER: www.towardliberation.com

Years from now, each of us will be remembered as someone who spoke out against genocide or someone who remained silent. There will be no opportunity for explanations. There will only be the choice we made.