Join Rise for the NYC Release of Torn Apart
Rise and the Revolution Books Educational Fund are co-hosting the NYC debut of Dorothy Roberts’ new book, Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families—and How Abolition Can Build a Safer World.
You’re invited! Join us by attending in person at Revolution Books in Harlem or by viewing the event online through Facebook Live.
During the event, Dorothy Roberts will read excerpts of Torn Apart. Panelists Halimah Washington, Rise Community Coordinator, and Imani Worthy, Rise Public Speaking Coordinator, will share their thoughts as parents impacted by family policing and as abolitionist organizers whose reflections are included in the new book. Carl Dix will share his perspective as a long-time revolutionary and follower of Bob Avakian.
Attendees will be introduced to Rise’s work and will be invited to join writing or drawing activities to reflect on the discussion. We will use approaches that draw on restorative justice circle practice and Rise’s values of storytelling and creating change through community to engage everyone in a discussion about the book.
Date/Time: Saturday, April 16th, 3:00-5:00 pm ET
Location: Online or in person at Revolution Books in NYC
>> RSVP today via Eventbrite to attend in person or virtually!
Please note: In-person seating is limited. All attendees must wear a mask and provide proof of vaccination.
About Dorothy Roberts’ New Book, Torn Apart
An award-winning scholar exposes the foundational racism of the ”child welfare” system and calls for radical change.
Many believe the “child welfare” system protects children from abuse. But as Torn Apart uncovers, this system is designed to punish Black families. Drawing on decades of research, legal scholar and sociologist Dorothy Roberts reveals that the “child welfare” system is better understood as a family policing system that collaborates with law enforcement and prisons to oppress Black communities. Child protection investigations ensnare a majority of Black children, putting their families under intense state surveillance and regulation. Black children are disproportionately likely to be torn from their families and placed in the foster system, driving many to juvenile detention and imprisonment.
The only way to stop the destruction caused by family policing, Torn Apart argues, is to abolish the family policing system and liberate Black communities. The book features insights and quotes from several Rise parents. It will be released April 5th.
>> Pre-Order Torn Apart now from Revolution Books.
Dorothy Roberts is the George A. Weiss University Professor of Law and Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, where she directs the Penn Program on Race, Science and Society. She lives in Philadelphia and is the author of four books, including Killing the Black Body.
About The Revolution Books Educational Fund
The Revolution Books Educational Fund, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization incorporated in New York State. Established in August 2015, it is the public education partner of Revolution Books in NYC—”the bookstore about the whole world, for a radically different world.” The Revolution Books Educational Fund is dedicated to reaching the widest possible audiences to further deepen engagement about why the world is the way it is and the possibility of a radically different way the world could be. Learn more.
Resources
>> Read the Rise interview, ‘Abolition is the Only Answer’: A Conversation with Dorothy Roberts, by Keyna Franklin, Rise Assistant Editor.
>> View the video recording of Dorothy Roberts as a guest speaker at Rise’s 2021 annual fundraiser celebration.
>> Access abolition learning resources on our website.