Mass Incarceration of Men of Color

"The racial dimension of mass incarceration is its most striking feature.

No other country in the world imprisons so many of its racial or ethnic minorities.

The United States imprisons a larger percentage of its black population than South Africa did at the height of apartheid.

In Washington, D.C., our nation's capitol, it is estimated that three out of four young black men (an 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. 6-7)."

Dubious Distinction

"The impact of the drug war has been astounding.

In less than thirty years, the US penal population exploded from around 300,000 to more than 2 million, with drug convictions accounting for the majority of the increase.

The US now has the highest rate of incarceration in the world, dwarfing the rates of nearly every developed country, even surpassing those in highly repressive regimes like Russia, China, and Iran.

In Germany, 93 people are in prison for every 100,000 adults and children. In the US, the rate is roughly eight times that, or 750 per 100,000 (Alexander, 2012, p.6)."

Legalizing Discrimination

"Rather than rely on race, we use our criminal justice system to label people of color 'criminals' and then engage in all the practices we supposedly left behind. 

Today it is perfectly legal to discriminate against criminals in nearly all ways that it was once legal to discriminate against African Americans. 

Once you're labeled a felon, the old forms of discrimination - employment discrimination, housing discrimination, denial of the right to vote, denial of educational opportunity, denial of food stamps and other public benefits, and exclusion from jury service - are suddenly legal. 

As a criminal, you have scarcely more rights, and arguably less respect, than a black man living in Alabama at the height of Jim Crow. 

We have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it." 

In "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness" by Michelle Alexander

Historical Trauma

"[Jarvious] Cotton's great-great-grandfather could not vote as a slave. 
His great-grandfather was beaten to death by the Klu Klux Klan for attempting to vote. 
His grandfather was prevented from voting by Klan intimidation. 
His father is barred from voting by poll taxes and literacy tests. 
Today, Jarvious Cotton cannot vote because he, like many black men in the United States, has been labeled a felon and is currently on parole." 

In "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Breaking It Down

"For too long, there has been no mass fight back against a multileveled assault on poor and vulnerable people...

'The New Jim Crow' is a grand wake-up call in the midst of a long slumber of indifference to the poor and vulnerable...

Martin Luther King, Jr. called for us to be lovestruck with each other, not colorblind to each other. 

To be lovestruck is to care, to have deep compassion, and to be concerned for each and every individual, including the poor and vulnerable." 

Foreword by Cornell West

Good Readings Can Be Like Good Therapy

I started going to a reader for the first time nearly 6 years ago.

It helped me to change my life.

I wasn't particularly perceptive - actually, I was blind and getting duped. I needed some insight.

Mostly, I experienced readings like good therapy - I felt seen and understood, deeply.

These are notes taken during readings. I read them over and over again. They are like wisdom from a grandmother I never knew. They are messages about loving, respecting, enjoying, and cherishing self - these probably ring true for any social worker.

Quieres felicidad completa. Prefieres decir las cosas al frente. Eres decidida. Tienes que ser egoista. Tienes que ver por tu vida. Piensa en ti. No te gustan los chismes. No le tienes miedo a nada. Eres triunfadora - nadie te puede aplastar. Caes y te levantas. Renacimiento espiritual - una vida nueva para ti. Obstaculos - sales adelante. Abrir los ojos - a sentir lo que soy y lo que valgo de mujer. Quererte todos los dias. Apapachate tu misma. Ve lo que tu vales, eres espiritual con muchos valores. Estas tomando decisiones bien. Limpia tu aura para tomar decisiones correctas. Ni para atras, ni para agarrar impulso. Date tu lugar mas. Se tiene uno que estar limpiando. Eres dulce. Sigue tus instintos. Eres mujer de razón - usa tu razonamiento. Lo que es para ti, nadie te lo quita. Con tranquilidad, no corras. Si no lo sientes, no lo hagas. Tu sabes quien eres. La fe mueve montañas. Eres mujer de lucha. No te gustan las mentiras. Te has vuelto muy decidida en tus cosas, organizada. La gente paga aqui. Aqui se pagan las cosas. Tu has tenido que batallar por todo - es una limpieza para ti. Buenas palabras - te alimentan tu espíritu. Te abri los ojos - hay cosas que no te dabas cuenta. Tu no te dejas. Ya no pienses - deja que las cosas fluyan. Podrán haber chismes, pero te vale. Arta, arta de chismes. Aceptar la gente come es. Tus espiritus y protectores te cuidan mucho. Eres mujer de una sola palabra. Ya sabes quien es quien. Introvertida. Lo que es para ti, es para ti. Lo que no, se va.

Yours Truly

Tell me what you want
what you really, really want!
-Spice Girls

If you know what you want but feel stuck and stymied,
the answer likely lies in your ambivalence.

Explore your fears, worries, questions, concerns and doubts -
these are major cock-blockers, pardon my french. Enchanté.

Uncovering and facing these fears can bring you closer to what you truly desire.
And remember that Creator does not put a desire in your heart to mock you.
If it's divine, imagine that it's already yours because it is.