Revisiting Abolition and the Power of "We"

Abstract

Abstract: Writing in 2021, as a follow up to the Summer 2020 Special Issue, "Scholarship in a Time of Crisis," I revisit the work of the pronoun "we" in official statements on Black Lives Matter now that the many academic institutions, major corporations, non-profits, small businesses, volunteer groups, social clubs, and Instagram accounts that penned some variation of the statement "We affirm that Black Lives Matter" have largely moved on to other priorities. I contend that 2021, much like 2020, contained several uncanny echoes of the abolition politics of the eighteenth century. The subject position "we" remains slippery and problematic—perhaps even more than in 2020—despite or perhaps because of apparent victories such as Derek Chauvin's conviction for the murder of George Floyd. I discuss the key ways this court case echoes the legal and political contexts of the late eighteenth-century abolition movement before pivoting to a reflection on eighteenth-century Black resistance, grassroots antiracist efforts, and some key takeaways for today's academics.