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CALIFORNIA SOCIOLOGY FORUM VOL. 6 

Land, Resistance, and Radical Care: Additional Exploration 
and Musings of Cover Image Design 

Milo M. Valentine 
Department of Sociology 

California State University, Los Angeles 
 

The cover piece, Land, Resistance, and Radical Care, for the 
sixth volume of the California Sociology Forum stems from 
conversations between myself and the Student Editorial Board in hopes 
of prompting a discussion around the violent history of colonization and 
our role in the ongoing fight for Indigenous sovereignty. My goal for this 
written work is a more in-depth expansion on the cover piece to provide 
additional information and description, explore the concept of radical 
care from the Black Feminist perspective, and seeks to integrate these 
concepts as guides which inform both scholarship and praxis. 

The primary object of Land, Resistance, and Radical Care is an 
illustration of two hands side-by-side, palms up, with fingers slightly 
rounded. In the palm of the hands rests an object that may resemble 
Earth, though all personal interpretations can be unique. A warm pink 
backlight surrounds the hands, symbolizing the interconnection of care 
and resistance. This piece is set against the backdrop of the Los Angeles 
County map from the 1800s, which includes topographic symbols and 
borders marked by colorful patches overseeing miles of land. 
Additionally, the phrases “Stolen Land” and “LandBack” are inscribed 
across the wrists of the hands holding our world, symbolizing the 
necessity of our pursuits to stem from this foundational historic 
understanding. 

The division of territory on the Los Angeles County map is a 
result of the violent colonization of the Gabrieleños people and their 
land. As individuals attending a university on land stolen from the 
Gabrieleños, it is crucial not to view colonization as a historic event set 
in the distant past, but rather, as an ongoing process of violence that can 
be resisted by looking to Indigenous organizers who have long been 
fighting for LandBack. According to the Indigenous organization NDN 
Collective (LANDBACK 2021), LandBack is an organizing framework 
with goals of acquiring sovereignty over stolen lands, as well as 
language, ceremony, food, education, housing, healthcare, governance, 
medicine, and kinship which “allows us to envision a world where Black, 
Indigenous & POC liberation co-exists.” LandBack initiatives work 
towards Indigenous sovereignty and reclamation justice for what was 
stolen. We must listen to Indigenous voices to better understand the 
complexities of colonization, become better equipped to organize, and 



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CALIFORNIA SOCIOLOGY FORUM VOL. 6 

imagine a future where all communities can experience liberatory 
justice. 

The practice of radical care, rooted in Black Feminist thought, 
seems particularly instrumental when envisioning a liberated future. In 
their book, No More Police: A Case for Abolition, Mariame Kaba and 
Andrea J. Ritchie (2022) portray Black feminism as offering visions of 
“collective practices based in an ethics of care and personal 
accountability.” They illustrate how care, as a longstanding practice, 
fuels their efforts to combat state violence, secure necessary resources, 
and cultivate the future they desire through mutual aid and 
transformative justice. The foundational and supportive role that care 
plays in Black Feminist praxis highlights its necessity in creating 
meaningful movements and communities. In this way, radical care 
becomes a cornerstone for building a future where marginalized 
communities can thrive. 

As we navigate our roles as students, sociologists, and residents 
on unceded stolen land, we must recognize our position within the 
context of a long history. By centering the perspectives and practices of 
Indigenous organizers and Black Feminists, we can guide our 
scholarship and actions towards a more just and equitable society; a 
society that includes collective liberation for all marginalized 
communities. 

 
REFERENCES 

NDN Collective. “LandBack.” Accessed March 28th, 2024. https://landback.org/. 
Kaba, Mariame and Andrea J. Ritchie. 2022. No More Police: A Case for Abolition. New 

York: The New Press. 
 
 
 
Milo M. Valentine (He/Him/His) is a graduate student in the Master’s in 
Sociology program at California State University, Los Angeles. His research 
interests include transgender studies, gender and sexuality, queer and 
feminist methodologies, labor, and abolition. His thesis research explores 
how gender-queer individuals manage emotions in service-based work 
environments. Milo has served as a Teaching Apprentice in several courses 
and is a writing tutor at the Center for Academic Success. He is also a 
member of the Abolition Study Action People’s (ASAP) Collective. 
Additionally, Milo provides design assistance to various groups, including 
the Department of Sociology, the Sociology Club, and CSF, creating flyers 
and promotional materials for their programs and events. Milo is grateful for 
the opportunity to design the cover for this latest volume and extends his 
deepest appreciation to everyone at CSF.  
 


	Land, Resistance, and Radical Care: Additional Exploration and Musings of Cover Image Design - Milo M. Valentine



