Inequality and discrimination have constituted some of the most significant aspects of US history. For the longest time, civil rights movements, campaigns, demonstrations, and human rights movements have centered their agenda one inequality and discrimination. At the same time, some of the most notable historical figures in the US have been associated with these two themes. In a culturally and ethnically diverse country like the US, it is almost inescapable for inequality-based (discriminative) subjects to be raised. Michelle Alexander’s book is a retrospect of her experiences and perception of ethnic inequality and discrimination in the US. Stratified along many structures of governance, social life, and the economy; there is still ethnic-based inequality that is experienced in many parts of the US.
Summary
Alexander begins by giving a small background on how she arrived at the decision of writing her book. In the introduction and first chapter, she brings her audience’s attention to the fact that she used to work at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Oakland. It from her working experiences there that she observed the racial bias and discrimination that were being imposed on African-Americans. Particularly, she observed the rate at which black men were being incarcerated and the general ideology that was being propagated to push black men into the middle-class life status. It is in the same chapter that she briefly touches on the American history of race, white supremacy, and discrimination. The second chapter explores the ‘drug pandemic’ that took place between the 1980s and early 2000s. Alexander uses this example to portray how certain structures of government have over the years been used to downgrade the life of African Americans.
The third chapter furthers the theme of the second chapter. She starts by looking at two anecdotes that are based on the African Americans’ lives and dugs. Alexander looks at the statistical correlation between drug dealing/consumption and the incarcerations that are related to the same. She uses this example to portray the racial bias in the system. The fourth chapter discusses the transitional life of a former prisoner or an individual who has been incarcerated before. It shows the hardships that individuals who have formerly been incarcerated experience as they try to recollect their lives. Chapter five begins with a reiteration of Obama’s speech that was based on empowering black men to be better fathers. She also discusses the new modern form that ‘Jim Crow’ laws have taken in modern society. The last chapter discusses civil rights, employment, and the socio-economic status of minority communities. Alexander’s goal is to enlighten readers of the modern institution of the ‘Jim Crow’ laws and how racial discriminations together with inequality are still existent issues.
Evidence
Chapter one of Alexander’s book takes a historical approach to explore the issues of discrimination and inequality. A particular aspect of history that is thematically relevant to Alexander’s agenda is the 1970s notion that prisons would be non-existent in the nearby future. Less than 350,000 people were in prison and other forms of incarceration in 1972. However, the figure shot to about 2 million in less than 30 years. Alexander states that the US has the highest rate of incarceration for any developed country in the world. At the same time, there is no county in the world that has a higher rate of incarcerating minorities like the US.
Alexander further states ‘In Washington, D.C., our nation’s capital, it is estimated that three out of four young black men (and nearly all those in the poorest neighborhoods) can expect to serve time in prison. Similar rates of incarceration can be found in black communities across America’ (Alexander, 2012, p. 6). This evidence used to substantiate the claims in the introduction and the first chapter is quite effective. While the book is mainly based on the racially biased mass incarcerations in the US, the evidence in this chapter plays a great role in helping Alexander achieve her primary goal. The evidence used in this chapter is good and contextually relevant.
Most parts of Alexander’s book reiterate the drug issue to portray the concept of racial inclination in incarceration. In the third chapter, Alexander admits to the surge in the number of whites incarcerated for drug-related activities. For instance, between 1983 and 2000, the number of whites incarcerated increased by more than 8 times. Alexander states that ‘Although the majority of illegal drug users and dealers nationwide are white, three-fourths of all people imprisoned for drug offenses have been black or Latino. In recent years, rates of black imprisonment for drug offenses have dipped somewhat – declining approximately 25 percent from their zenith in the mid-1990s’ (Alexander, 2012, p. 93). This evidence is used to prove that the nature of crimes committed is not as important in incarceration as the race factor. Indeed, this evidence was good and it did prove Alexander’s point. However, it lacks specificity in the aspect of demography.
Life after incarceration is not easy for most people. The fourth chapter is based on portraying how life after incarceration can be a stage that individuals pass through before they are incarcerated again. Alexander points out to three main things associated with life after incarceration. The first aspect is housing where the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1998 bars tenants with criminal records. The other aspect is employment where most employers don’t accord jobs to individuals with criminal records. The third aspect is stigma. ‘Nearly one-third of young black men in the United States today are out of work. The jobless rate for young black male dropouts, including those incarcerated, is a staggering 65 percent’ (Alexander, 2012, p. 143). This evidence is used to portray how the system keeps pushing minorities into committing crimes that further lead to their incarceration. This evidence both effective and it did achieve the primary objective of proving Alexander’s point.
Chapter Review (I)
Jim Crow laws are historically known to be based on pure discrimination and racial segregation. Although they came to an end when the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed, their propagation has been undertaken in the Justice System of the US. This is where Alexander derives the name of her book ‘The New Jim Crow: Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness.’ The title of the book and its thematic areas are given a lot of weight in the first chapter. In this chapter, Alexander gives a chronological explanation of how racism, discrimination, and inequality came to be. She centers slavery, social discrimination, and other inhumane acts that were undertaken in the name of ‘race.’ It is in this first chapter that she reviews the evolution of civil rights movements and other humanitarian organizations. She lays a foundation for her audience so that they have a solid understanding of the pertinent issues she covers in her book.
From the early 19th Century, Alexander peruses through all the major steps and events that Blacks undertook to get closer to an equitable America. She looks at the activist works of notable figures and other socio-economic aspects like employment and the distribution of social amenities. It is in this first chapter that she finally arrives at the ‘War on Drugs’ subject of 1982. Reagan was the president at that time. The 1980s is historically one of the most dynamic and eventful centuries. It is from this ‘War on Drugs’ that the concept of ‘mass incarceration’ is introduced. She paints a picture of how certain law enforcement agencies were involved in drug trafficking and the elevation of the vice. Sadly, these drugs were traded in the predominantly Black communities.
It is from this war on drugs that the Justice System of the US begun using incarceration as an ethnic discrimination tool. Ranging from drug trafficking to other crimes, the incarceration started developing a pattern of being racially biased. It got to a point where some analysts felt that the war on drugs was a government-instigated phenomenon aimed at orchestrating one of the greatest genocides on Blacks. It is important to read this chapter because it lays the foundation for the readers so that they can have a ‘virtual feel’ of the thematic subjects explored in the book. The drugs theme is very crucial in Alexander’s book. It is from this theme that she bases many of her discussions. This theme is introduced in this first chapter. This the theme that readers should take from this chapter.
Conclusion
Alexander’s book is undoubtedly a great piece of writing. With the multidimensional approach that she uses to explore her theme, she is successfully able to propagate her ideas and ideologies to her readers. It is true that the US is still lagging behind when it comes to ethnic equality. Despite the significant progress that has been made in the last two centuries, the US still remains many strides away from being the epitome of an ethnically integrated country. Therefore, by identifying and exploring the modern forms through which inequality is being undertaken in the US, Alexander is able to both prove her point and bring to light important societal issue.
