Freedom Is a Constant Struggle

A term originally used in the context of the movement to end slavery. The term today also commonly refers to abolition of prisons, police, and the death penalty, or that which falls within the large umbrella of the prison-industrial complex, which many abolitionists view as a modern-day continuation of slavery. Abolitionism today focuses on freedoms that remain unachieved, as Davis outlines throughout the book, including economic and substantive freedoms. Davis wishes to challenge the normalcy of prisons by rejecting “the notion of bad people deserving punishment and begin to ask questions about the economic, political, and ideological roles of the prison” (24).

While acknowledging the various types of feminism that exist, Davis follows a definition of feminism that is exemplified by Black feminism. Davis defines Black feminism early in Essay 1 as “a theoretical and practical effort demonstrating that race, gender, and class are inseparable in the social worlds we inhabit” (3). This crux of Black feminism is an intersectional lens that allows an understanding of how seemingly separate ideas and processes interrelate. Davis further explains that Black feminist intersectionality includes finding the connections between struggles, not just identities.