We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom

Education Can’t Save Us. We Have to Save Education

According to Love, abolitionist teaching is less a pedagogical approach and more a way of life that aims to end injustice. Solidarity is necessary to bring about freedom. Teachers, alongside school administrations, parents, and students, must tear down the educational system and reimagine schools, writes Love. There is no blueprint for abolitionist teaching. Some educators will foster homeplaces for students, while others will attend community protests. Some teachers will stress social justice in their courses, while others will lobby their local governments for better healthcare and housing. The process will be complex and filled with setbacks and disagreements.

Tweaking the System Is Not Enough

Love argues that white rage has countered virtually all efforts to reform schools. Thus, Love promotes doing away with the current education system, not reforming it. Quick solutions, such as more testing, surveillance, and punishment, will not fix schools. Addressing racial injustice and inequality is the only path forward.

Achievement Gap (Sharecropping)

The achievement gap reflects centuries of racial injustice and oppression. According to Love, Black students are like sharecroppers who live and work on someone else’s land but can never make up what they owe.