If The Creek Don’t Rise: Collective History and Prison Abolition in the Southeast

NYU XE: MA THESIS PROJECT

If The Creek Don’t Rise: This digital humanities project examines the disconnect between theory and practice in prison abolition in the Southeastern U.S. It stresses the Southeast's critical role in the formation of the prison system, with almost half of the nearly 2 million incarcerated people in the U.S. detained in this region. The project urges prison abolitionists to prioritize the South in their efforts, emphasizing the importance of decarceration in this area to combat mass incarceration and envision a future without prisons.

Through a microcosm of memory culture, the project educates on the historical ties between the North and South and the tensions that persist today. The "Layered Histories" section juxtaposes the histories and stories of lands where prisons now stand in the Southeast with the current justice system. Meanwhile, the "Data" section sheds light on incarceration rates and the cultural influences on imprisonment.

If the Creek Don’t Rise proposes a strategic plan for prison activists to bolster local Southern efforts, highlighting methods to achieve broader prison abolition. Ultimately, the project aims to inspire a collective embrace of history and a move towards communal healing.

This is a digital poem and archive surrounding the first 72 hours after my mother’s death in 2019. This work, though immensely heavy, sheds light on poverty in the South, childhood trauma, and the ways in which U.S. politics have so deeply permeated people's identities that they become weaponized, even in moments of despair and grief over the loss of my mother.

A Map About Nothing

A MAP ABOUT NOTHING : Seinfeld Spots in NYC

This map / archive shows us how a show about nothing highlights history in one of the largest cities in the world.