We Say “Abolition”–In Solidarity With Those Who Are Harmed by the Child Welfare System
August 20, 2026
Here’s what happened. Some people were uncomfortable with us using the word “abolition,” and they wrote a letter about it. They said we were misguided and disrespectful to slavery abolitionists to use this term in relation to the family policing system.
We wrote a response:
“Calls to prohibit or restrict the use of the term “abolition” are not neutral scholarly appeals. They function as attempts to control the boundaries of legitimate critique and to assert authority over political language and movements that have been developed and advanced by Black scholars, organizers, and communities most directly impacted by these systems.”
In other words, attempts to police the language originated by Black scholars and organizers is just another way to sustain the very systems of oppression we’re trying to dismantle.
Abolition is an ONGOING project, to dismantle systems of racialized domination. This tradition is tied to the efforts to end slavery, but it didn’t end there. Like Angela Davis said, “Freedom is a constant struggle.”
“Communities most impacted by the family policing system are not obligated to accept existing arrangements as inevitable, nor to adopt language that renders those arrangements more palatable.”
We use the term abolition because communities most impacted by the family policing system describe it as a modern iteration of slavery. Family separations were weaponized, reproductive control was exerted over Black women, and dehumanizing narratives about Black families emerged. If those parallels between slavery and today’s so-called “child welfare system” are uncomfortable, imagine what it must be like to experience such violence. Imagine the radical shifts we need to make to truly be free.
“The question, then, is not whether abolition is an acceptable term, but whether we are willing to confront what it asks of us.”
Of course, abolition is about the tearing down of carceral systems like prisons, ICE, and family policing. But it also invites us to radically shift how we think about harm, accountability, and care. We believe in practicing collective responsibility for children— without surveillance, coercion, or separation.
Written and edited by Maya Pendleton, Alan Dettlaff, Sydnie Mares, Josie Pickens, connease warren, and Angela Burton