Getting closer to abolition and freedom requires grappling with the systemic lack of attention to and resources for mental health. The recent tragic deaths of Christian Hall in Monroe County and Walter Wallace Jr. in Philadelphia have underscored how vital it is to re-imagine how cities allocate resources and build structures for community-based care. Rather than a traditional panel, this event combines expertise on public policy and racial justice work with guided vision exercises to work collectively towards abolition. Potential outcomes and aspirations include:

• Group vision work (in the form of a shared manifesto, world-building story, etc.) for future mental health policy, systems, or crisis response

• A collection of resources based on shared readings, support, etc. gathered during the event via the chat or other means

Organized by Jessa Lingel (Associate Professor of Communication, Penn) this event is co-sponsored by the Creative Resilience Collective and the Media, Inequality & Change Center, with support from the Wolf Humanities Center.