Reading the New Jim Crow: Introduction Quotes | Michelle Alexander

The New Jim Crow's Argument

In reading the text, don't lose sight of what this text is arguing (Introduction, Pg. 11). 

See the quote below:

"Imagine if civil rights organizations and African American leaders in the 1940s had not placed Jim Crow segregation at the forefront of their racial justice agenda.  It would have seemed absurd, given that racial segregation was the primary vehicle of racialized social control in the United States during that period.  This book argues that mass incarceration is, metaphorically, the New Jim Crow and that all those who care about social justice should fully commit themselves to dismantling this new racial caste system.  Mass incarceration - not attacks on affirmative action or lax civil rights enforcement - is the most damaging manifestation of the backlash against the Civil Rights Movement.  The popular narrative that emphasizes the death of slavery and Jim Crow and celebrates the nation's "triumph over race" with the election of Barack Obama, is dangerously misguided.  The colorblind public consensus that prevails in America today - i.e, the widespread belief that race no longer matters - has blinded us to the realities of race in our society and facilitated the emergence of a new caste system."

Racial Inequality in the Criminal Justice System

A Video from from Learn Liberty

External Resources provided by Erich (TBW Spring 2014).

The Sentencing Project

The Sentencing Project

Added a new site to our resource links to the right of the page.

This week check out The Sentencing Project at www.sentencingproject.org

The Sentencing Project started in 1986 and works for a "fair and effective U.S. criminal justice system by promoting reforms in sentencing policy, addressing unjust racial disparities and practices, and advocating for alternatives to incarceration."  A great resource for thinking being critical, informed, and open to issues related to crime and punishment in the United States.

Thank you to Stephanie, TBW student from bringing this resource to our attention.

TBW Student Insights by Stephanie / Introduction of The New Jim Crow

On the Importance of Advocacy

by Stephanie (TBW, 2014)

"In the introduction Michelle mentions that there is no advocacy to preserve affirmative action (Pg. 11 Introduction). The word advocacy is powerful in itself, but lacked in so many areas, health, schools, home, courts, and the list goes on. I am a strong believer in being an advocate; it is what I want to do in my life. I am going into the Social Work profession, so advocating for those who do not have a voice, can have at least one. This section made me realize that much more of the importance of advocacy and how it impacts lives. Advocacy relates to racial disparities and the incarcerated population because there are not enough voices to reach out to this population and help them. How can there be enough voices to reach out when prison population keeps increasing. The help needed for these individuals cannot keep up with the inflation rates. This is just talking about advocates who do this as a profession. Society could advocate. I believe society is undereducated on how much our criminal justice system needs reforming. There is not enough push for a reform, without voices we lose hold of affirmative action. It is clear to me how important advocacy is."

Reading The New Jim Crow: Introduction Quotes | Michelle Alexander

"Knowing as I do the difficulty of seeing what most everyone insists does not exist, I anticipate that this book will be met with skepticism or something worse. For some, the characterization of mass incarceration as a "racial caste system" may seem like a gross exaggeration, if not hyperbole. Yes, we may have "classes" in the United States—vaguely defined upper, middle, and lower classes—and we may even have an "underclass" (a group so estranged from mainstream society that it is no longer in reach of the mythical ladder of opportunity), but we do not, many will insist, have anything in this country that resembles a "caste."

The aim of this book is not to venture into the long-running, vigorous debate in the scholarly literature regarding what does and does not constitute a caste system. I use the term racial caste in this book the way it is used in common parlance to denote a stigmatized racial group locked into an inferior position by law and custom. Jim Crow and slavery were caste systems. So is our current system of mass incarceration."

From the introduction of The New Jim Crow page 12.  You can also read the introduction at the following site, Truthout.org article titled "America's Current Racial Caste System - We Need to Ensure That It is Our Last": click here

Source of Image: All Things Harlem

The Beat Within + BAYLA 2013

BAYLA 2013 Service Project Video

Want to extend thanks to George from TBW 2014 for passing on a link that featured this video from the Team Incredibles group.  This demonstrates how The Beat Within engages dialogue youth-to-youth with all populations, whether incarcerated or out.  It also shows how advocacy for justice issues can involve youth themselves and provide leadership qualities that focus on "passion and perseverance" as the Team Incredibles discusses in the video.  Check it out! 

Featured Post: The Beat Within Documentary by Cristie H. | NMSU Spring 2014

The following is a featured post from TBW student Cristie discussing The Beat Within documentary which was made available at the Voices Behind Walls website and viewable here: http://voicesbehindwalls.org/tbw/ Cristie offers perspective of the documentary video released in 1998 and one of the earliest video recordings I've seen on The Beat Within.  She also includes a link to the Reclaiming Futures website and a write up by co-founder David Inocencio which sheds light on the program and its involvements.  Check it out!  From time to time we will feature postings from the NMSU student web portal to allow the public to engage in dialogue with us about The Beat Within and the course readings including The New Jim Crow and Kids for Cash during the Spring semester of 2014.

The Beat Within Documentary by Cristie H.:

“We’re not supposed to have pens or pencils in our rooms, which are considered a weapon.”  It is hard to imagine a place where pens or pencils are not allowed and where books and the knowledge within them have become a limited resource.  Viet Nguyen, a 17-year-old boy, speaks these words as he sits atop a ragged bed in a shabby cell in Part 2 of The Beat Within documentary.  He fondly recalls his start with poetry – by getting caught stealing and re-writing poems from others, all while a smile is plastered across his young face.  “I couldn’t imagine my life without writing…if I couldn’t touch a pen…forever…just the rest of my life…aw…oh no…” The faint glimmer of light he risks composing to at night in his cell is very much like the faint glimmer of hope writing brings to him.  No matter how bad things get inside, no matter how destitute, they are mere shadows to what even the smallest shred of hope can bring.

Creative writing programs for incarcerated youth are paramount to not only their mental health, but also their physical well-being.  As described in Part 2 of the documentary these kids are so full of hatred, confusion, and pain and many of them have been raised by a system who has all but forgotten their names.  They need and deserve an outlet to help them work through and understand these emotions.  These children brains are still in crucial stages of development and experts believe the development does not stop until around age 25 for a large majority of the populace.  (Aamodt, 2011)  It is important to make sure a growing brain is stimulated and we can help do that by fostering creative environments for our youth whether they are incarcerated or not.

During a web search I stumbled upon http://www.reclaimingfutures.org/ a website whose motto is “communities helping teens overcome drugs, alcohol, and crime.”  It has a lot of information about youth justice issues and as a supporter of restorative justice models I found a lot of useful information on it.  There was an article published about The Beat Within on June 19, 2012 at http://www.reclaimingfutures.org/blog/beat-within on the website.  The first paragraph states, “For the better part of the last two decades, The Beat Within has been committed to a mission of providing incarcerated youth with a forum where they can write (and draw) about the things that matter most to them, explore how they have lost connection with those things they value, and consider how they might re-connect to positive situations in their lives through the power of the written word.”

Writing is therapeutic and can help our children work through difficult and trying times and also help them see the positive in their situations as well as highlight the positive attributes in themselves.  This will in turn breed confidence and a sense of pride and achievement in their work as well as aid them in seeing their own value as human beings and remind them they are part of a community that cares about them and wants to help them.  “To encourage the kids to write and to draw, we begin with a conversation about issues affecting them and how they can make connections between their personal life and the larger community.”  (Inocencio, 2012)  I feel the arts are important beyond measure for our young to help them work out issues and problems they may be having, so that they in turn grow into the stronger, well-versed adults our communities are in need of.

Slavery By Another Name

Slavery By Another Name

PBS View the Film: click here

Website: www.slaverybyanothername.com

The House I Live In

The House I Live In

Website: www.thehouseilivein.org

U.S. Prison System by the Numbers

U.S. Prison System by the Numbers

+ a note form De Senso's notes of The New Jim Crow, Chapter 1, 'The Rebirth of Caste'*

Practically overnight the budgets of federal law enforcement agencies soared.  Between 1980 and 1984, FBI antidrug funding increased from $8 million to $95 million.  Department of Defense antidrug allocations increased form $33 million in 1981 to $1,042 million in 1991.  During that same period, DEA antidrug spending grew from $86 million to $1,026 million and FBI antidrug allocations grew from $38 million to $181 million.  By contrast, funding for agencies responsible for drug treatment, prevention, and education was dramatically reduced.  The budget of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, for example, was reduced from $274 million to $57 million from 1981 to 1984, and antidrug funds allocated to the Department of Education were cut from $14 million to $3 million" (p. 49, 2010 version).

"For You" by DeAngelo Cortijo

The Beat Within : "For You" by DeAngelo Cortijo from Robert Gomez Hernandez on Vimeo.

A powerful video by DeAngelo Cortijo.  For background on DeAngelo Cortijo I encourage visitors to read his editorial that was featured in the 18.21 volume which you can access at The Beat Within Archives.  Here is the direct link to the PDF download: click here

This video was recommended in our 01.27 Discussion this Spring 2014 by Angela, NMSU undergrad after watching The Beat Within documentary from 1998.  The 01.27 activity involved students conducting research online of multimedia, articles, stories that provided more information on the program and its participants. 

A Thank you to Dr. Cornel West's Visit to El Paso, Texas

A special thank you to Dr. Cornel West for his visit to the town I learned he was conceived in before his parents arrived to his birth place of Tulsa, Oklahoma from Ft. Bliss.  When I walked in to the Magoffin Auditorium took in the sounds of Sam Cooke & Marvin Gaye before Dr. West's intro from KTEP radio host Monica Gomez.  Dr. West referenced a lot of music throughout his presentation, gave the crowd a lot to think about, and left me thinking most about lifting as we climb, cross bearers of unarmed truth and unconditional love, how integrity faces oppression, school not as a smart tank but a site of encouraging courage, honesty in the face of deception, our time of Jim Crow Jr., learning humility, the quest for originality, dying for something bigger than you, being radically gentle, being serious about EDUCATION, the beautiful chronicle of the blues, the conversation between MLK and Malcolm June 27, 1964, his work teaching in prison, and the act of COMPASSION.

As a music enthusiast, I could hear the artists he'd reference.  From Mahalia Jackson, Donny Hathaway, Billie Holiday, Coltrane & Monk, Curtis Mayfield, Teddy P, Lou Rawls, Otis Redding, David Ruffin, Sly Stone, Roberta Flack, B.B. King, Isley Brothers, Luther Vandross, Public Enemy, Aretha Franklin, Ashford & Simpson, and Isaac Hayes. 

Dedicating the track below to Dr. West.  "People Never Give Up"

-Lee R.