Farming For Abolition

Farming For Abolition

Capstone Project
A reusable keepsake that answers common questions about oppression in the US food system, farmworkers, and abolition.
DESIGNER(S)
IN COLLABORATION WITH
MAJOR
Interaction Design
FACULTY
James Pierce
Home for me is Wenatchee, Washington— an agricultural community where time passing is measured by the changing tides of new harvests and hands sent into the orchards. I initially felt drawn to the topic of farm work and its workers while reporting on my school’s award-winning mariachi program. Students told stories about their family members facing dangerous working conditions in the orchards to be paid less than 4 cents for every pound of apples. The malice of the American food system extends beyond its core workers too— 24 million people live with structural barriers to accessing affordable, healthy food. Predominantly white neighborhoods average four times as many supermarkets as Black ones, snowballing to cause a higher risk of diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and even cancer. When I became introduced to the modern abolition movement, I started to understand that there can be an alternative to the systemic injustices in my hometown that seem so concrete. The agricultural industry is far from alone in having profits that are impossible without human exploitation. Farming for Abolition is an informational keepsake that uplifts firsthand farmworker experiences, reveals inequities in US farming, and encourages readers to take abolitionist action. Using a question-and-answer format, the set of three pamphlets is approachable for people new to these topics, encouraging them to share the information with their friends to build community and spread analysis of our systems.
DESIGNER(S)
MAJOR
Interaction Design
FACULTY
James Pierce
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
DIVISION OF DESIGN