Summary of Michelle Alexander argument relative to origin of Jim Crow - Essay Example

Summary of Michelle Alexander argument relative to origin of Jim Crow The term and notion Jim Crow refers to the era of racial segregation which brought to the fore the aspect of different treatment accorded to different people on the basis of their colour. It is important to note that the name Jim Crow was taken from a song which was done by Thomas Dartmouth as a struggling artist who opposed and rose against racial discrimination. It happened in the time period of 1877 up to 1965 when the segregation laws were banned and prohibited from the system. The main victims of the system were the people of African-American origin and descent who were sidelined and mistreated. In principle, the law prohibited the African-Americans from enjoying most of the civil liberties that the average and ordinary citizens enjoyed at the point in time. For instance, the African-Americans were not allowed to participate in voting processes, were limited in their endeavor and access to employment activities. As a result, they were constrained to second grade jobs and opportunities such as being slaves or performing menial jobs for the whites. It follows that the form of segregation postulated and fronted took the holistic approach such that the places where the African-Americans lived was supposed to be of lower cadre or class comparative to the other white neighborhoods. Thus, it goes without saying that the limited employment opportunities of the African-Americans limited their economic empowerment and as a result they lived in poverty. This is so due to the fact that they were set to occupy low paying jobs which implies that their economic power was greatly reduced and as a result they lived poor lives. Accordingly, the current criminal justice dispensation acts as a racial tool to discriminate and control the African-Americans if the empirical evidence and statistics is anything to go by. It is critical to note and mention that the speaker in the New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander outlines that Blacks get arrested for equal or lesser crimes as their white counterparts. For instance, she mentions that the “blacks are arrested for non-violent often drug related offence, the vary sorts that occur with roughly equal frequency in the middle class white community or on college campuses.” The irreducible minimum in this line of thought and argument is that the African-Americans would be subjected to stricter criminal proceedings and treatments as compared to their white counterparts. Thus, the Black offender would be condemned to a jail or an incarceration facility and earn the condemned title of a criminal or an ex-convict. It means that such a person would spend most of his or her time behind the prison walls. Thus, the intuition and the line of thought is that the criminal justice system is in a way designed to discriminate and malign the African-Americans and condemn to derogatory status of criminals. Conventionally, once a person has served time in a correctional facility, the ability and the chance of such a person in getting a job dwindles. Equally important is that the kind of treatment that the African-Americans are subjected to in prison is second class. Summary of articles “On the Routine Criminalization of Americas Black and Brown Youth” There is a perpetual fear on the American society and a misconception that the Blacks or people of color pose a threat and danger to the rest of the people. David Diaz was fatally shot by a veteran when he accidentally parked on his property. As it happened, the late Diaz was pulling over and trying to leave the parking spot when the veteran Philip Sailors shot him in the head. The brother of Diaz explains that may be Sailors was afraid and in the process of trying to protect his property he shot Diaz. However, the same situation when juxtaposed to that of youthful whites does not suffice as they would not be treated as threats. For instance, a group of white youths do not encounter violent or forceful vengeance when occupying Wall Street. “Studies Confirm the Dehumanization of Black Children and the Preschool-to-Prison Pipeline (Common Dreams” As much as African-Americans constitute a relatively small number of the total population of the United States of America, a substantial population of the inmates and convicts is the African-Americans. The empirical evidence and statistics have shown that the United States as a society treats the Blacks unfairly by targeting them, a move which was condemned by the United Nations Human Rights Committee. Activist and lobby groups have termed the school programs as a pipeline or a system which transits and prepares the young Black Americans to do time in the prisons. For instance, campus security arrest students for miniature crimes such as fights which are common and normal in such an age. “Rooted in Slavery: Prison Labor Exploitation” The United States stands out as a country which has incarcerated and jailed most of its population specifically the people of Africa-American descent and origin. Most of the prisoners are people of race who would be targeted by the police and subsequently convicted by the criminal justice system. In the recent past especially in the 80-90s, the economic spectrum and radar did shift from the North to the South and a result the number of Africans-Americans who lost their jobs rose. Subsequently, the number of incarcerations and arrests or convictions doubled in that period higher than any other in the past. It is my humble and respectful submission and intent of writing about my first article which I summarized above here in “On the Routine Criminalization of Americas Black and Brown Youth.” This is so because I believe that the material and content it covers are sufficient to raise critical and thorough issues for consideration in the academic realms. Key terms that to be used in the research process Criminalization of the African-Americans by the criminal justice system. Sources to be considered in the subsequent stages of the paper Coyle, Andrew, Allison Campbell, and Rodney Neufeld. Capitalist Punishment: Prison Privatization & Human Rights. Atlanta: Clarity Press, 2003. Internet resource. This source is critical since it encompasses the unequal rate of incarceration in the United States of America. In the ordinary sense, it would be unfair to assume that the people of color are more likely to engage in deviance and criminal activities without any scientifically proven genetic predisposition. Accordingly, the source relates by mentioning that “African American girls have a history of unequal sentencing and treatment by the justice system as well as increased victimization because of their double status as a black person and a woman in American society.” African Americans in the US Economy. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2005. Print. I would incorporate the argument and notion by discrediting the popular stereotype which presupposes that Blacks and people of color are violent and criminal in nature. Thus, I would encompass and use the ideals and principles contained in the source to elaborate the disparity from the reality and popular view. Accordingly, the opinion from the source “Black men have over eight times the chance to be incarcerated at some point in their lives than do white men,” would compound my position beyond reasonable doubt. Lusane, Clarence. African Americans at the Crossroads: The Restructuring of Black Leadership and the 1992 Elections. Boston, MA: South End Press, 1994. Print. The argument contained in the source are relevant sine they help me to articulate the negatively skewed perception and ideology in the criminal justice system which seeks to outline the challenges and criminality of the Blacks. In principle, “The criminalization and incarceration of young Blacks, particularly males is depopulating communities,” shows that the criminal justice system is designed to regulate and discriminate against the basic foundations of the African-American community. Shipp, Robbin, and Nick Chiles. Justice While Black: Helping African-American Families Navigate and Survive the Criminal Justice System. , 2014. Print. Innately, the logics contained in this source re vital for my submissions and arguments since they explain the reasons as to why skin color directly translates to level or aspect of guilt. “For no reason other than the color of their skin,” implies that the character of a person would be rendered second tier. Thus, this source would be critical in ensuring that I present a formidable argument to imply that skin color plays a critical role in condemning or exonerating a person from criminal liability. It also links the historical perspectives of racial discrimination and how the same burden might have been pushed forth to the current society. Image showing criminalization of the Blacks or the people of African-American communities This image is a representation of the past inequity and unfairness which was the norm and order of the day. However, in the recent past, the same intuition and treatment has been redesigned within the criminal and legal systems of the government. For instance, a person of African-America descent is highly likely to be stopped by police while driving and criminal intent established or fault looked in them. Subsequently, the same person may be exposed to legal proceeding and fining or incarceration under a similarly strict racially biased jury. Draft The United States of America stands out as one of the most developed democracies in the world given the level of freedom and civil liberties being enjoyed by the citizens of the country. It is important to note and mention that it has survived one of the most horrific and dark times in the world in the name of racial discrimination and segregation. People of the Africa-American descent were discriminated against and denied some of the most basic rights and civil liberties that the ordinary citizens enjoyed. As a result, they were limited in terms of the ability and the opportunities that they could access (Alexander 19). For instance, they could not attend to the same kind of schools that their white counterparts could attend to, have same jobs, vote or engage in any other normal activity. Instead, they were limited and constrained to take second tier jobs and work in the homes of the whites. As time went by and the voice of activism and revolution rose, the infamous segregation laws which were coined the term Jim Crow were abolished the United States of America by intuition declared freedoms and equal rights. These came in the form of increased learning and employment opportunities, ability to vote and enjoyment of other civil liberties by the African Americans. However, in the recent past, there has been a call at the intimation that the criminal justice system is biased and acts as a segregatory tool which extends the aborted Jim Crow agenda. It is as if the criminal justice system has been redesigned to act as the New Jim Crow agenda which is aimed at democratically and liberally maligning the basic rights of the blacks in a “polite “manner. Implicitly, it surprising to note that more than half of people in the correctional facilities and incarceration centers are people of color especially African Americans. Then the question that begs critical answer is whether the genetic make-up of the African-Americans pre-disposes them to deviance and violence or the criminal justice system is unfair skews negative treatment towards them? Thus, it would be my issue of concern and interest to draw the parallels and show correlations between the criminal justice and its unfairness towards the rise in the number of incarcerations and arrests of the African Americans or the Blacks. In principle, it would also articulate to outline the way and manner through which the police presence is unduly high in Black neighborhoods leading to the assertion that they are looking for criminals. “It is fair to mention that the whites also commit crimes of equal or worse manner as the African Americans and thus having higher incarcerations of the Blacks shows a discrepancy in the criminal justice system in the endeavor of providing natural and fair justice. Thus, the arguments and logics of the Historical Conversation Project would strive to explain why the criminal justice system unfairly targets the Black thereby acting as extensions of New Jim Crow laws. Work cited African Americans in the US Economy. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2005. Print. Alexander, Michelle. The new Jim Crow: mass incarceration in the age of color-blindness. NY: New Press. 2012. Print. Coyle, Andrew, Allison Campbell, and Rodney Neufeld. Capitalist Punishment: Prison Privatization & Human Rights. Atlanta: Clarity Press, 2003. Internet resource. Lusane, Clarence. African Americans at the Crossroads: The Restructuring of Black Leadership and the 1992 Elections. Boston, MA: South End Press, 1994. Print Shipp, Robbin, and Nick Chiles. Justice While Black: Helping African-American Families Navigate and Survive the Criminal Justice System. , 2014. Print. Read More