Donkeysaddle Projects

09/29/2026

We are currently at 90% of our total goal for our Trek for Gaza and DSP, with only $2k more to raise! You can make a contribution here: trekforgaza2026.raiselysite.com

This year, Jen hiked 400 miles on the Continental Divide Trail. But she wasn’t the only one who got some miles in! Several of our community members joined her with a “mini-trek.”

This past Friday, Sara walked 25 miles—the length of the Gaza Strip. Multiple members of her community in Seattle joined her for a lap around Green Lake.

Nick went on a 60 mile “bike packing” trip with an overnighter at Colossal Cave park east of Tucson.

Nada walked a total of 250 miles throughout the course of the month!

And multiple other community members also put in some miles over the course of the month as part of their mini-treks.

Collectively, our community fundraisers have brought in $7778! That is 38% of all we have raised thus far. We’re so grateful to everyone who has participated this year. You can contribute to any of these team members here: trekforgaza2026.raiselysite.com

09/24/2026

We are so grateful for the time we spent at the University of New Mexico earlier this month! Over the course of three days, DSP core team members Gabi and Taylor shared about our work and methods; talked with other artists, activists, and cultural organizers; screened our films There Is a A Field and Severed; and facilitated our “Solidarity Against State Violence” workshop. Thank you so much to UNM Theatre and Dance for having us! If you are interested in doing something like this at your university, email [email protected].

09/23/2026

At Donkeysaddle Projects, we have a monthly abolitionist futures gathering as part of our reading circles. This month, we’re looking at the history of prisons and police that shaped our current systems & the principles the abolition movement is using to create a reality we can thrive in. Join us this Sunday, September 27th at 1pm EST. You don’t need to join the reading circle to join this gathering. We hope to see you there! Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/I7EuF_IZTvCvpVyV50lKww #/registration

09/21/2026

Today marks 15 years since the state of Georgia tragically executed Troy Davis—an innocent man on death row whose fight for freedom galvanized international support, and who was a close friend of DSP founder Jen Marlowe. You can read Jen's reflection on standing with Troy and his family in his final days at this link.

Rest in power, Troy. We think of you always.

Discover insightful articles on Standing with Troy Davis in His Final Days. Join us in exploring solutions for a just, sustainable, and compassionate world. with Troy Davis in His Final Days

08/27/2026

When you contribute to our Trek for Gaza and Donkeysaddle Projects fundraiser, 50% goes towards ongoing lifeline stipends for our storytelling partners from Gaza and beyond. The other 50% goes to DSP as a whole, to support our ability to work on other projects that fight state violence in all its manifestations, like “Yo Te Esperaba: An Abolition Story,” and our Abolition Learning Circles.

Yo Te Esperaba: An Abolition Story is an immersive performance piece and installation in development by immigrant rights and reproductive justice organizer A, in partnership with Donkeysaddle Projects.�
Yo Te Esperaba (YTE) tells the story of immigrant rights and reproductive justice organizer A fighting deportation for twelve years, and spending two of those years in ICE Detention in Eloy, AZ. YTE provides a window into thousands of similar stories of community members impacted by this manifestation of state violence. As we work on this piece in different cities, we connect with and support local campaigns fighting la migra, pushing for abortion access, and mobilizing for resources for criminalized communities.

Our Abolition Learning Circles are a political education series for artists and cultural organizers which teaches the history and praxis of abolition. It provides the foundational knowledge necessary for participants to go on and make impactful abolitionist art.

We are SO CLOSE to reaching 50% of our total goal. Your contribution today will help us keep these necessary projects going, as well as provide necessary lifeline stipends to our storytelling partners from Gaza. You can contribute here: https://trekforgaza2026.raiselysite.com/

08/21/2026

Jen is currently 200+ miles deep on her trek of the Continental Divide Trail to raise money for lifeline stipends for our storytelling partners from Gaza and beyond, as well as DSP as a whole!

This week, there were multiple bear sightings so she has partnered up with some other hikers! She said this last section was an “epically gorgeous trail.” Swipe through to see some of the great views she’s seen!

We are currently at 43% of our total goal. Please make a contribution today so we can update Jen that we’re halfway there! https://trekforgaza2026.raiselysite.com/

08/18/2026

Are you inspired by Jen’s Trek for Gaza and Donkeysaddle Projects, and wanting to do something similar? Well you’re in luck! You can sign up to do your own “mini-trek” this year to raise money for the lifeline stipends our storytelling partners from Gaza receive, as well as DSP as a whole. There is no minimum number of miles. You can add up from daily short walks, or do a longer hike on a weekend—whatever floats your boat! Our only ask is that you participate in a way that feels good for you and you share your campaign page with your community. For more info and to sign upL https://trekforgaza2026.raiselysite.com/signup

And if a mini-trek isn’t your thing, no worries. A contribution of any amount is super meaningful to supporting this work. Thank you for however you choose to participate!

08/14/2026

Jen has now made it over 100 miles across the Continental Divide Trail in Montana, with 300 miles left in this first leg of her combined 600-mile trek for our storytelling partners from Gaza and other areas of crisis.

She has picked up a “proper shiner” (maybe from a bear, maybe from a rock, who’s to say?) but spirits are high! She enjoyed cowboy camping under the meteor shower and has seen some excellent views.

If you want to learn more about Jen’s trek and how to support it, check it out here: https://trekforgaza2026.raiselysite.com/

08/13/2026

Jen has surpassed 100 miles on her Trek for Gaza and Donkeysaddle Projects!

ICYMI, Jen is currently trekking 600 miles along the Continental Divide Trail and Appalachian Trail to raise money to support the ongoing lifeline stipends that go to our storytelling partners from Gaza and other areas of crisis, as well as DSP as a whole.

One storytelling partner supported by the Grassroots Community Network (GCN) is Abdallah. Abdallah has a rare lung disease, and DSP has been involved with his medical care since he was six years old. Abdallah’s house was destroyed in October 2024. He uses much of his stipend to pay the exorbitant rent for a small shack, as sheltering in a tent during the harsh winter could be fatal for him.

The GCN stipends also support the Awajah family, who were first featured in our 2011 film “One Family in Gaza.” The family has been bouncing back and forth between Rafah in the south and Nusseirat in the middle area of the Gaza Strip, desperately trying to find safety.

Your contribution today helps support the stipends of these storytelling partners and many others. You can learn more about our storytelling partners and make a contribution at the link in our bio.

We are currently at 32% of our goal! Thank you so much for your support.

       

08/12/2026

You can still join us for this month’s read for the Abolitionist Futures Reading Circles—“Hospicing Modernity: Facing Humanity’s Wrongs and the Implications for Social Activism by Vanessa Machada de Oliviera.” If you’d like to join us, you can do so by visiting tinyurl.com/abolitionistfuture or following the link in our bio. Our global virtual discussion about this book will be Sunday, August 30th at 1pm ET. 

The Abolitionist Futures Reading Circles are a place to come together and read texts across genres to help us imagine the future we want to live in, and define what is required from us to get there. There are local circles, with monthly virtual transnational gatherings.

We currently have reading circles set up in Mexico City; Ramallah; Washington, DC; Baltimore; Seattle; San Diego; and Northwest Arkansas. If you don’t see your city on the list but would like to have a local space, you can be the point person in your own city!

Sign up to join a circle (or help start one locally) at tinyurl.com/abolitionistfuture or at the link in our bio.