Abolition Lab
The HRC Abolition Lab is made up of artists, activists, educators and researchers dedicated to abolitionist praxis in all of its formations. Through collective study, activism and group projects, we are dedicated to community work, working with students, and supporting research/curricular projects that deal with abolition and abolition studies.
Current projects include, but are not limited to: The Freedom School (launching in 2024-25), building web resources with and for community groups/members, building abolitionist curricula (either inside or outside the university context), conducting and workshopping abolitionist writing, research, activism and artistic expression.
Students, staff, faculty, and community members whose interests intersect with the work of the lab are welcome to join. Please contact the lab director, Liz Canfield, at ercanfield@vcu.edu.
Meet the Team
Liz Canfield, PhD
Co-Director
Liz Canfield is a sound artist, zine maker, teacher and community organizer. She is an associate professor and associate chair at Virginia Commonwealth University in the Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, where she teaches introductory courses in gender/sexuality studies, upper-level courses in feminist literary theory, queer theory and cinema, and service learning courses that engage the prison system in Virginia. She has presented creative and academic work nationally and internationally. Her interests include radical pedagogy, transformative technologies, decolonial queer epistemologies and emancipatory ontologies of self and community.
Contact: ercanfield@vcu.edu
Travis Williams, PhD
Co-Director
Travis Williams is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Contact: tlwilliams3@vcu.edu
Additional people associated with this lab include:
- Eli Coston, Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies
- Jamie Cage, School of Social Work
- Sarah Jane Brubaker, Criminal Justice
- Mer Francis, School of Social Work
- Jesse Goldstein, Sociology
- Frankie Mastrangelo, Sociology
- David Coogan, English
- Kristin Reed, Focused Inquiry, University College
- Vineeta Singh, Interdisciplinary Studies, University College
- Brooke Taylor, Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies
- Travis Williams, Sociology
- Nicole Killian, Graphic Design, School of the Arts
- Lily Cox Richard, Sculpture + Extended Media, School of the Arts
- Shelli Fowler, English
- Ana Edwards, African American Studies
- Arda Athman, Communications Director, Richmond Community Bail Fund
News
Mellon Foundation grants will help VCU professors launch Richmond Freedom School
A planned Richmond Freedom School being developed by two VCU professors will share community-based conversations about Richmond-specific topics ranging from politics, history and civics to ecology, arts and science.
