Upcoming Activity
Abolitionist Tea Party
Part of The Warehouse programs at BPL.
When
Sunday, April 19 2026
Where
Time
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Facilitator
Cost
FREE with Registration
Max # of Participants:
30
About Facilitator
jackie sumell, a prison abolitionist, ex-jock and multidisciplinary artist, draws inspiration and parallels from the lives of everyday people and the natural world. For over two decades her work has been an expression of gratitude for her beloved elders Herman Wallace, Albert Woodfox, Robert King and Zulu Whitmore. Positioned at the intersection of abolition, social practice, healing justice and contemplative studies, her work has been showcased extensively across the U.S. and Europe.
Objective:
jackie sumell leads a participatory ritual of tea and dialogue, connecting plants grown by incarcerated people to conversations about abolition and healing.
Running from April 4 through June 28, 2026, The Warehouse is a collaboration between artist and writer Vic Liu, abolitionist organizer Mariame Kaba, and the Bedford branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. The project features more than two dozen new, full-scale paintings by Liu that cover the library’s walls, transforming the public space into an immersive exploration of resistance, survival, and possibility.
Find a full list of programming here.