Part One of this interview appeared here, in the January 6 issue of BAR. On January 20, BAR will begin publishing excerpts from The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness [The New Press].
“Mass incarceration has turned the Black community against itself,” says Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Black Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. Mainstream organizations like the Congressional Black Caucus and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights put out laundry lists of proposed reforms, while failing to make America’s Black Gulag a priority. “If the way we pursue reforms does not contribute to the building of a movement to dismantle the system of mass incarceration,” says the veteran civil rights lawyer, “and if our advocacy does not upset the prevailing public consensus that supports the new caste system, none of the reforms, even if won, will successfully disrupt the nation’s racial equilibrium.”
Police Commissioner Edward Caban has often relied on an obscure authority to intervene when officers are accused of serious wrongdoing, often handing out little to no punishment.
This week, we discuss the Shelby County v. Holder Supreme Court decision and the need to reinstate the gutted provisions. Also, Washington, D.C. activists mobilize against the new crime bill. But…
Dahoud Andre joins us to discuss Rev. Al Sharpton and other self-titled New York City Faith Leaders who are openly supporting the latest occupation of Haiti, which has recently begun with the arrival…
Kareem Crayton joins us to discuss the legacy of the Supreme Court Decision, Shelby County v. Holder, and why congressional legislation is needed to restore Voting Rights Act protections.
We are joined by Pan-African Community Action member Oliver Robinson, who will explain the harm of the DC Secure Omnibus Crime Bill and discuss their upcoming town hall.
