Ain’t no Justice ... It’s Just Us”: Indigenous and Girls of Color Organizing Against Carceral Feminisms and Carceral State Violence

Textual Analysis of Organizational Documents
Participation in Activist Workshops
Case Study Approach

This research project delves into the intertwined nature of personal and systemic violence directed at Indigenous women, particularly within North American contexts. Drawing upon grassroots movements, the study underscores the limitations of relying on conventional legal systems and the urgency for community-based transformative justice. It critiques the oppressive dynamics of the non-profit and prison industrial complexes in perpetuating violence against marginalized communities. With a focus on organizations like the Young Women’s Empowerment Project in Chicago and Sista II Sista in Brooklyn, the research highlights their pioneering work towards establishing community accountability structures and transformative justice outside the traditional nation-state framework. The study also emphasizes the emotional and affective dimensions of resistance, illustrating how these dynamics are vital for understanding the broader struggle against systemic inequalities and violence.

A critical race feminist framework is used to examine how intersecting oppressions (e.g., gender, race, class) shape experiences of violence and activism.

Emphasis on an activist-scholar perspective and prioritization of authentic, community-driven processes for understanding and addressing structural violence.

Guided by a theory rooted in understanding both personal and systemic violence against Indigenous women, this work champions grassroots initiatives and community-driven solutions over conventional legal systems. It aspires to a future where Indigenous and marginalized communities experience neither personal nor systemic violence, advocating for transformative justice and community accountability as central pillars. By critiquing the oppressive dynamics of the non-profit and prison industrial complexes and emphasizing the emotional dimensions of resistance, this research underscores the need for policies that genuinely resonate with the affected communities' needs, ultimately aiming for a paradigm shift towards holistic community well-being and justice.

Organizational and Movement Documents
Workshop Observations
Survey Data (SIIS’s community survey)
First-Person Accounts

Workshops and conferences
Zines and toolkits

"We have to do what I call visionary organizing: We have to see every crisis as both a danger and an opportunity." —Grace Lee Boggs

"We must build criticality around gender violence in the architecture of our movements... We need our own alternative systems in place to deal with sexual assault at the community level, systems that are based on our traditions and do not involve state police and the state legal system." — Leanne Simpson

Gender and Women studies
Critical Race Studies
Girlhood studies
Carceral Studies and Prison Abolition