In this modern take on Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander presents the evolutionary roots of racism in the United States. She argues that racism is no longer based solely on race, but has transformed to more covert and legal forms through the criminalization of African Americans in the criminal justice system. As soon as a person of color is classified as a felon, it is legal for establishments to discriminate against them virtually as much as it was at the height of the Jim Crow era.…
While working for the American Civil Liberties Union, Michelle Alexander’s perspective changed as she gained insight on the racial bias in our criminal justice system and how it has been altered throughout time. In The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindless, Alexander compares our current justice system to the Jim Crow laws of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which enforced racial segregation, by calling our system “The New Jim Crow.” Alexander describes America’s racial history in depth by covering slavery, the Civil War, reconstruction, and the Civil Rights Movement. The author also explains that The War on Drugs in the 1980s was not based on correct statistics about drug use, but rather to satisfy white…
Michelle Alexander uses her book, The New Jim Crow to prove to society that mass incarceration is a form of racialize social control. I agree with her because a predominant amount of African American males are with held behind bars more than any other race especially caucasians. Everyone faces discrimination is some type of way because it happens within classrooms and public places. The main factor is showing how breaking the law is the new…
In Gender and Jim Crow: Women and the Politics of White Supremacy in North Carolina 1896-1920, Glenda Gilmore exposed the benefits of adjusting our angle in studying the southern political narrative of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In studying elite, educated, black and white women, Gilmore found sources that voiced the opinions and views of these women. By placing educated black and white women at the center of her study, Gilmore revealed how the political activism and mutual cooperation by women of both races influenced southern progressivism. Gilmore remarked that her focus on educated female leaders slights the working class point of view, as other stories “remain to be told.” Wilmington’s working class females served…
In the new Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, She talked about how the prison system makes it harder for African Americans. When prisoners leaves from prison there mentally still imprisoned there not used to the real world like most of us there more used to be inside of a cell they have to understand the rules and regulations and now they're being put as a felon. My first claim talks about they lost their right to vote and the reason for that is they show they don't respect the society it's a continued punishments there not given chances to earn their freedom back. Criminals violated laws of government and they have to take back in government when people chose to commit serious crimes they showing that there willing to damage the laws abiding people's…
incarceration is another term for enslavement, except for this time, the US has found a way to…
In chapter five of Michelle Alexander’s book entitled, “The New Jim Crow”, she tackles the topic that most of the Americans ignore. In the beginning of this chapter, she mentioned president Barack Obama’s speech on father’s day. In Obama’s he stated that many fathers are missing or MIA, and AWOL with their responsibilities. This scenarios can perfectly describe African Americans family, where many children does not have their fathers by their side. As Alexander argues, “a black child born today is less likely to be raised by both parents than a black child born during slavery.” Though it may be true that many fathers are MIA, it can be argued that these fathers did not leave their families voluntarily. The reason why these men are missing…
The New Jim Crow parallels the civil injustices that were usually placed upon black people during the pre-reconstruction with those placed on felons in current day, making the argument that the system of oppression never really disappeared but instead evolved. This, in a way, supports Alexander’s assertion because it confirms the durability implied by saying that such a system was the foundation of America. In conclusion, Alexander’s focal quote means that America was, and still is, built on maintaining a caste system and preserving power positions, allegations supported by the way power is passed around today, and the structure of the prison…
African Americans who don’t receive opportunities for advancement naturally get frustrated with society, which may catapult into violent outbursts among sections of the highly disadvantaged population. Even those African Americans who were subjugated to and suffer to this day from the brutalities of discriminatory policies may, and have every right to, feel oppressed by this system. Looking at the issue from a societal view, I argue that the higher authority has to take certain measures to ensure peace for this generation and incoming…
In the New Jim Crow written by Michelle Alexander, Alexander reminds us of the retrospect of what we once knew, the grating truth hidden behind the land of freedom, racial prejudice towards the colored. Although today, America guarantees liberal rights to every individual of color. Alexander argues that the cateism still lingers beyond the lines of our society. Michelle supports her argument through the rebirth of the Old Jim Crow, War on Drugs and the racial caste system.…
To what extent does the Michelle alexander use persuasion in order to show similarity between the Jim Crow and the new American justice system? The new American justice system was believed to be a refined version of the previous Jim crow that promised equality and liberty to all races. The term “Jim crow” refers to the practice of segregating people in the Us The New Jim Crow was published during the year 2010, it is a book written by Michelle alexander, a credible well known American rights litigator and legal scholar and is best known for this book (The New Jim Crow). She is a professor of law at Ohio state university Mortez college of law and a civil rights advocate. Through her book, she acknowledges and discusses race-related issues…
Michelle Alexander author of "The New Jim Crow" argues that Mass Incarceration has regenerated laws similar to Jim Crow; Alexander believes these caste systems such as Jim Crow and slavery are similar to the existing system of mass incarceration. In addition, Alexander alleges the U.S. criminal justice system created laws that mainly target African Americans through the War on Drugs. In comparing mass incarceration with Jim Crow, Alexander points to compelling parallels regarding political disenfranchisement and legalized discrimination, but her comparison regarding the symbolic production of a race weakens her argument. Alexander, moreover, effectively offers a rebuttal to the counterargument that the New Jim Crow does not carry the same level…
Since its early days as a nation, the United States has had a reputation for glossing over its mistreatment and oppression of people of color, especially African Americans. Not aiding matters is White Americans turning a blind eye to the injustices faced by minorities. Despite several advancements that have come since for POC in America, including the outlawing of segregation and the election of the first Black President, this country is still far from perfect when it comes to resolving racial issues. And even as remarkable black scholars and activists have been trying to reach out to Caucasian communities to make a difference, the message has yet to fully be comprehended 150+ years after the abolition of slavery and 50+ years following the…
Racism is an issue which frequently generates a great deal of heated debate. Back in history, the aspect of slavery is portrayed as the way of life for African Americans. Therefore, during the between 1954-68 period, the movement of black Americans became one of the most important movement in our history. It first appeared in the United States and the main concept of this movement concerned with social equality. Nowadays, most people believe that the negative effects of apartheid do not appear in African Americans in today’s society anymore. However, in my view, I am firmly convinced that African Americans still struggle against racism and oppression in several ways for equality and rights.…
There are more African Americans under correctional control today, in prison or jail, on probation or parole then where enslaved in 1850s. Civil Rights advocate and writer of The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander acknowledges in her book that the African American community is suffering more than the non-colored people when it comes to the U.S Justice system. Alexander introduces the book with a story about a man names Jarvious Cotton. Cotton was not allowed to vote just like his grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather because of the history behind their color. Cotton’s great-great-grandfather could not vote as a slave. His great-grandfather beaten to death…