Claudia Horwitz has been offering an invaluable meditation series, “100 Days” at Don’t Push the River, since January 20, 2025. Day 98 (April 27) focused on “World Building.” Examples she shared included fictional worlds, mutual aid networks, cooperatives, land trusts, transformative justice and abolitionist efforts. She shouted out Design Studio for Social Intervention, about which I know nothing, except what is on their website and the recommendation.

The day’s meditation centered around “What if…?”

“What if we tried this? …structures flowed…to support…? …we had a different type of conversation going about this?”

How might a what-if practice change “things we’re willing to offer and suggest?” It was this last question that inspired me to change the format to focus more explicitly on abolition, from Jewish and wider perspectives.

For some time, I’ve been struggling with if/how I can be of any use in helping educate and organize myself and others on abolition-related topics. Yesterday, I began reformatting this website. Today, following Horwtiz’s example of “spontaneous appropriate action,” discussed on Day 99 (April 28), I decided to lean more fully into the re-organizing. Thus, a new iteration of this writing hub website in hope of inspiring myself and others to further learning and action — with immense gratitude to Claudia Horwitz and “100 Days.”

Another word of gratitude: Many years ago I attended a workshop for journalists which included the suggestion of using a blog as a way of sharing investigative notes and resources. The panelist — I wish I could cite the teacher, but I no longer even remember who sponsored the workshop! — said, basically: you have to keep your notes somewhere, and you might as well make those that are useful (and not privacy sensitive) available to others. I have been so grateful for this suggestion, because I have noticed over the years that I can find things on my blogs that I cannot locate in my physical files anymore.