(The New) Jim Crow
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Transcript of (The New) Jim Crow
1. What is “Race”? What is “Racism”? Race:
Race is a classification system of human beings on the basis of culturally-defined biologically-transmitted group characteristics. Typically, but not invariably, these are connected to visible attributes (skin color, physical characteristics, etc.).
Racism: Racism is a set of beliefs and social practices in which culturally-defined racial classifications intersect forms of social oppression. Racism always involves linking evaluative judgments to these classifications – superior/inferior, worthy/unworthy, dangerous/not dangerous, honest/dishonest.
2. Racism in America hurts not only minorities, but whites as well
1. Racism reduces social solidarity and weakens social
movements for all oppressed groups: “Divide & Conquer”
2. Racism weakens support for Universal Programs
3. Racism is a form of Oppression: it imposes real harms on people and communities
• In the original US Constitution, Indians, blacks and other
nonwhites were counted as less than full persons. • Slaves were denied virtually all legal protections. • full citizenship for blacks was not enacted until 1964, less
than half a century ago. • Native Americans have been massively displaced from their
original lands, subjected to murderous repression and marginalization.
• All of this is not just “ancient history”; it is an on-going reality today
+Historical trajectory of forms of racial domination
n Genocide
n Slavery
n Second-Class Citizenship
n Semi-Free Labor
n Discrimination
1. Genocide: A systematic policy to exterminate a particular category of persons, because of their race, religion, ethnicity or some other characteristic.
In US history the treatment of Native Americans was often genocidal.
2. Slavery: A system of social relations in which one person is the private property of another and can be bought and sold on a market.
U.S. slavery was an extreme form of this:
• Children could be taken from parents and sold
• Slaves could be tortured and killed with almost no restraint
• Rape of slaves was never a crime
3. Second Class Citizenship A system of giving different categories of people different citizenship rights on the basis of some attribute.
In the U.S., “Jim Crow Laws” in the South after the Civil War officially gave blacks and whites different rights. In the North, different treatment unofficially conferred different rights.
4. Semi-free labor A system for including non-citizens in a labor market without giving them the rights and protections of citizenship.
In the 19th century this was true for Chinese labor (“Coolie” labor). In the 21st century this is the case for “illegal aliens”.
5. Discrimination A form of racism in which persons are accorded full citizenship rights, but in various ways they face systematic private discrimination in various contexts.
This may be officially illegal, but widely tolerated in practice.
+Discussion Questions in groups
n Describe your neighborhood growing up. In what ways was it racially segregated or integrated? What was the proportion of homeowners to renters? Was it considered a desirable neighborhood?
n In what ways were you aware of your racial/ethnic background when you were growing up? How would you describe that background? How do you define race? How do you define ethnicity?
n What did you think of the reading on The New Jim Crow? Did you find the book section weak? Surprising? Did you connect with it?
+War on Drugs
n Assumption: launched in response to crackn Racial disparities in convictions and prison population reflected
gov. efforts to address rampant drug crime in poor neighborhoods
n Truth: Reagan officially announced the drug war in 1982, BEFORE crack became an issue in the media or a crisis in poor black neighborhoodsn 1985 Reagan hires staff to sensationalize crack in the media (as
solely black problem)n Drug crime declining not rising when drug war was declared
+War on Drugs
n Truth: The CIA actively supported drug smuggling in Nicaragua, which made way to streets of poor black neighborhoods
n Truth: The CIA blocked police investigation into illegal drug networks that were funding its covert war in Nicaragua
+War on Drugs
n Coincidence: an illegal drug crisis suddenly appears in the black community AFTER a drug war had been declared
n Impact: in less than 30 years à penal population has exploded from 300,000 to more than 2 million n Drug convictions accounting for majority of increase
+Incarceration: The New Jim Crow
“The current system of control permanently locks a huge percentage of the African American community out of the mainstream society and economy…it functions more like a caste system than a system of crime control” (Alexander, p. 13).
+Incarceration: The New Jim Crow
n Highest incarceration rate in the worldn Form of social control
n Imprisons a larger percentage of its black population than South Africa did at the HEIGHT of apartheid
n 80% of Blacks in the US have a criminal record
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
0
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,000
1925 1935 1945 1955 1965 1975 1985 1995 2005
Rat
e of
inca
rcer
atio
n pe
r 10
00,0
00
Total in custody in both prisons and jails
In custody in prisons only
U.S. Incarceration rates, 1925-2012
+Incarceration: The New Jim Crow
n Studies show: people of all colors USE AND SELL illegal drugs at almost identical ratesn However: black men admieed to prison on drug charges 20-50 times
more often than white men
n In major cities: 80 percent of young black men have criminal records n Subject to legal discrimination for the rest of their lives
Whites
Blacks
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
1,600
1,800
2,000
1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012
Arr
ests
per
100
,000
year
Black and White Arrest Rates for Drug Offenses, 1968-2012
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003
Blacktowhitedispa
rityra
<o
Black-to-whitedisparityinprisonsentencesbyoffencegroup
Drugoffenses
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003
Blacktowhitedispa
rityra
<o
Black-to-whitedisparityinprisonsentencesbyoffencegroup
Drugoffenses
Robbery/Burglary
Violentcrime
Other
TheJ
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
Drug users* Drug offense arrest
Drug offense conviction
Imprisoned for drug offenses
Bla
ck p
erce
ntag
e of
cat
egor
y po
pula
tion
Drug users Imprisoned for drug offenses
Black share of drug use and punishment, 2011
+ImbalanceinArrests
MarijuanapossessionarrestratesinsomeofCalifornia’s
largestci5es2006-08
Source:“SmokeandHorrors”,op-edbyCharlesM.BlowinNewYorkTimes,October22,
2010BasedonresearchbyHarryLevineandJonGeKman,“TargeMngBlacksforMarijuana:possessionarrestsofAfricanAmericansinCalifornia,2004-08”,(Drug
PolicyAlliance,LA:June,2010)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Ever used Past year Past month
White Black Latino
Patterns of Marijuana Use by Race, 2007
Rates of “call backs” in Employment Discrimination audit study
Data from Devah Pager Sociology dissertation, 2002
+Discussion Questions in Groups
n What are you thoughts about Obama’s initiative?
n Do you think this will help solve the New Jim Crow? Race Disparities?n If yes, why?n If no, why not?
n Does his new initiative raise any read flags? If so, what red flags?
n What questions do you have about this new initiative?