“If I Fall, And We Struggle Together…” Certain Days, Political Prisoners and Movement Defense with Josh Davidson and Daniel McGowan

Feb 18, 2022

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In this episode we interview two members of the Certain Days Collective.

Josh Davidson has been an activist for nearly two decades, focusing on prisoner support and the abolition of the carceral state. He is involved in numerous social justice projects, including the Certain Days collective and the Children’s Art Project with political prisoner Oso Blanco. Josh is currently editing a book detailing the struggles of current and former political prisoners, and also works in communications with the Zinn Education Project.

Daniel McGowan is a member of the Certain Days collective, and former political prisoner from Queens, NY.

He works with NYC Books Through Bars, the Anarchist Black Cross Federation (ABCF) and supporting political prisoner Eric King.

The topic of today’s discussion is the Certain Days: Freedom for Political Prisoners Calendar which is a joint fundraising and educational project between outside organizers in Montreal, Hamilton, New York, and Baltimore, and political prisoner Xinachtli (formerly known as Alvaro Luna Hernandez).

All of the outside collective members are involved in day-to-day organizing work other than the calendar, on issues ranging from refugee and immigrant solidarity to community media to prisoner justice. They work from an anti-imperialist, anti-racist, anti-capitalist, feminist, queer- and trans liberationist position.

In this episode they talk about welcoming founding members Herman Bell and Robert Seth Hayes (Rest in Power) home from prison in 2018, and founding member David Gilbert home from prison just a few months ago at the end of 2021.

Daniel and Josh talk about the nuts and bolts of putting the calendar together, working with political prisoners on the project, and supporting prisoners against state repression. Along the way they both talk about tensions they feel in political prisoner support in the present moment. Both embracing prison abolition, understanding the inherently political nature of all imprisonment, and holding firm on the critical importance of movement defense to the creation of a better future.

Daniel also shares many insights from his own time as a political prisoner on the vicious and arbitrary nature of carceral power and the role that political prisoners try to play teaching and sharing radical knowledge but also seeking to legally combat the most repressive facets of the prison system both inside and out.

Josh and Daniel reference a ton of great projects and ways people can get involved, we will include all of them in the show notes so make sure to check them all out and get involved. One in particular we want to draw folks attention to uprisingsupport.org which was created to support people facing political repression for their involvement in the uprisings in response to the executions of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others in 2020.

And of course make sure you pick up a copy of the Certain Days calendar if you haven’t yet, they’re now on sale for $10 at burningbooks.com and the other outlets listed in this episode and in the show notes.

Finally, a reminder that if you appreciate the work that we do, we also need support. Become a patron of the show for as little as one dollar a month at patreon.com/millennialsarekillingcapitalism

Other links and projects discussed in the episode:

2022 Artists- Carrot, Comrade Z, Jesus Barraza, Leila Abdelrazaq, Oso Blanco, Peter Railand, Roger Peet, Wendy Elisheva Somerson, Windigo Army, Virginia Lee, Xinachtli and Xue.

2022 Articles- Alanna Kibbe, Cory Charles Cardinal, David Gilbert, Daniel McGowan, Eric King, Hanif Bey, J.“g.”J., Martha Hennessy, Montclair Mutual Aid, Mwalimu Shakur, Sean Adams, Shukri Abu-Baker, Tauno Biltsted.

PPs- editors are/were David Gilbert and Xinatchli

Prisoners- Comrade Z (Julio Zuniga)- Texas, Fed: Eric King, Hanif Bey, Oso Blanco, Shukri Abu Baker, Martha Hennessy. Sean Adams (released from Texas state), Mwalimu Shakur (CA)

PP News

Current campaigns- Dr. Mutulu Shakur (clemency, parole, compassionate release)

Sundiata Acoli

Political Prisoners Near Release-

Doug Wright

Josh Williams (12.22)

New(er) Political Prisoners -

Jessica Reznicek

Dan Baker

Daniel Hale

Floyd Uprising defendants (Uprisingsupport.org)

More orgs: