Episode 34: How Conscious Parenting Can Dismantle the Carceral State with Cozine Welch
You can’t talk about decolonizing parenting without talking about dismantling the carceral state. I mean think about it…the carceral state, white supremacy, and violent parenting practices are one in the same-state sanctioned violence. That may sound harsh, but it’s the truth.
When Black people are murdered by the police, and that police officer isn’t held accountable, which happens the majority of the time, it is state sanctioned violence.
- When a country’s entire system of beliefs is inherently antiblack, which leads to the death and destruction of Black communities, it is state sanctioned violence
- When there are laws that allow parents to physically punish their children, it is state sanctioned violence.
There are systems that create behavioral patterns associated with criminal activity. These systems are designed to imprison black and brown people in their minds first until they literally find themselves behind bars. This creates a feedback loop, labeling criminals eternally and seeing them as a liability to society.
Because mainstream parenting is harsh and punitive it primes children for prison! Parents start to label their children as criminals and punish them for age-appropriate behavior, thinking they’re doing the work that’ll keep them out of prison, but really, the oppressed has become the oppressor!
This is why I became a parenting coach…because colonization is ingrained into every aspect of society and we have to consciously fight against it to decolonize and practice intentional parenting. It is a JOURNEY, a day-to-day change, and we can’t afford to be distracted by the end result. We have to keep striving to reimagine the future for our children. They deserve to be loved and supported as they discover themselves in the process.
“We haven’t won, but we are winning! It is a hard fight” – Cozine
In this episode, I am joined by Cozine Welch – formerly incarcerated Poet, Educator, Executive Director of A Brighter Way, Cozine and I discuss:
- The Carceral Mindset – a byproduct of colonization
- Incarnation Culture starts from childhood
- How unconscious parenting reinforces systematic imprisonment
- The feedback loop of the carceral state
- Power versus Privilege
- Internalized capitalism feeds into the carceral state
- Creating safe spaces for black and brown communities
In an attempt to teach children how to survive, our communities may indirectly reinforce dark systems. Our nation teaches us to separate, punish and classify. Incarceration culture is everywhere! But guess what? We have the power to shut it all down! We gotta use our power for social impact.
So what do we have to do?
Readdress systems, discard negative systems, and bring back ancestral practices that work! We need to create safe spaces for our children to thrive by creating bigger villages filled with people who will unconditionally love and support them, but also collaborate to co-create a more equitable world. SUPPORT! SUPPORT!! SUPPORT!!! It is time to rebuild our cultural foundations by divesting from toxic systems and keeping them out of our communities for go!
“The nation won’t make the change; we have to make the change while living in the carceral state.” – Cozine
Look, this new generation is fighting hard against parental supremacy. It is time to get with the program!
Check out Cozine on social media and follow his journey to dismantle the carceral state:
https://twitter.com/cozinewelch
https://twitter.com/abwmentoring
https://www.linkedin.com/company/abrighterway
https://www.facebook.com/abrighterway/
https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/dcc-project/
And if you’re a parent who wants to learn how to be a more conscious parent, join my 4 week Intentional Bootcamp, where you’ll receive the support you need to help you make the mindset shifts necessary to be intentional and make conscious choices.
Sign up here: https://parentingdecolonized.thrivecart.com/be-intentional-bootcamp-4week/
We’ll be discussing this more on the Parenting Decolonized Facebook page, so see ya’ll over there!