Throughout the 2024–2025 academic year, the Carceral State Reading Group was centrally concerned with situating ourselves as Brown students and Providence residents relative to a range of interlocking conflicts across the globe. For the fall semester, we read political theory, watched documentaries, and engaged in discussions about communities facing persecution in the U.S., the African continent and the Middle East. During these discussions, members were able to develop their own ethical stance in a world that seems to be quickly devolving into chaos. In addition to intellectual growth, the space also functioned as a site of respite and reprieve in a community of others. Critical thought was framed by laughter and warm moments of community care.

During the spring semester, we explored how to expand our approach to communal study into new spaces beyond our regular group members and beyond the Brown community. Our public forum for this year, “Building Power to Pose the Question,” conceptually built upon last year’s symposium while allowing us to connect with new community partners. Through our discussion with a group of writers, artists and community organizers, “posing the question” became a useful heuristic for navigating present strictures, individually and as members of organizations doing community-facing work. We imagine that crafting creative questions—about the changing shape of the carceral state and the work of community engagement—will be a vital skill for these times.