A Reflection

Reading Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow has been an incredibly educational and eye-opening experience for me. I've learned much about just how deep systemic racism runs in this country, and have gained a greater appreciation for the struggles and injustices people of color have to face on a daily basis. 

Alexander's primary thesis was the idea that the U.S's system of mass incarceration is a method of control similar to that of Jim Crow. While she delves into many other sub-topics (all of which come back to support her claim in the long run), the entire book revolves around this singular point. At first, the claim seems extremely outlandish- however, it's very well supported. 

The book begins with a history of American criminalization, and delves into the War on Drugs; much of the racism we see in our criminal justice systems today sprouted from this main event. During the War on Drugs, black neighborhoods were targeted and infiltrated- they became a heavy focus of the media, and many "criminal" racial stereotypes were created. (These stereotypes are the same ones that still exist today, and lead unfair decisions being made at the discretion of police officers because of their underlying implicit bias.) From that point forward, one racial group attracted far more attention from law enforcement officials than any other. This fact is supported by statistics- go to any website and see for yourself. The makeup of the black population versus black incarceration is astounding. 

In this day and age, you can't admit to being blatantly racist. That's just not something you can do in modern society. So, instead of trying to control the black population through traditional means such as Jim Crow, society has shifted towards mass incarceration. After you've been incarcerated, you have fewer rights as an individual. You can legally be denied housing, jobs, and the right to vote (among other things). Technically, we're allowed to dislike these "criminals" because they've done something "wrong." So, by incarcerating the black population on a massive scale, we are given a way to justify and maintain racism. Through her rhetorical appeals and persuasive arguments, Alexander has convinced me that the U.S does in fact have a racial caste system, which is enforced by mass incarceration. 

The issue of systemic racism has very deep roots, and working to "cut back" these rapidly spreading roots is no small feat. The only way to prevent systemic racism from growing along with our society is through education. Every school should teach a unit on race (like the one I'm doing this blog project for). White privilege exists, but white guilt does absolutely nothing- guilt is not the point. Instead, people born with privilege need to use the tools of education and reflection to make a change. Action needs to be taken.