The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration

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Racism has been around for a long time and it still exists today. It has been embedded to a degree that it reproduces itself. It is in the culture of the future generation. What is seen and taught to us in our environment is how we learn our behavior and actions towards others. Because of this, whether we realize it or not, racist behavior is taught and passed on. Dismantling this requires dialogue, reflection on ourselves (and others), and relearning our behaviors. In some cases, racism is subtle and in others, it is obvious. Since the Civil Rights Movement, progress has emerged but ignorance and denial of the past and recurrence of history still exist among many. This is covered in the reading, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the …show more content…

It explains how four hundred years of history still affect society to this day. It talks about uncomfortable truths or the truths society ignores and draws from history. Before and during the Civil Rights Movement, many were denied basic rights and were poorly treated. Racial conflict, the suppression of people of color, and white supremacy are shown. When a group is oppressed and dehumanized, it is easier to not care or think about it. It is also easier to deny the reality when one is fixated on a popular myth that unequal treatments and racism ended. The so-called freedom society talks of in America does not apply to everyone. With the stereotypes formed, portrayed, and passed down, oppression continues in obvious and subtle ways. This film showed the affects the stereotypes have on people. Even with an understanding of history, the audience might find themselves rethinking American history and modern …show more content…

I had never heard of James Baldwin before and this film was a great way to learn about him. The strengths of the film were its powerful message and perspective. Despite the time change, America is still living in the 1960s. Meaning that to this day, we are still not treated equally and the race relations get worse day by day. This film captured what has happened in the past and shows the similarities to now. Not only did it show the highs of the Civil Rights Movement, it showed the lows. Police brutality, the faces of those who unfortunately lost their lives, and the horrifying behaviors of ignorant whites were shown. The film was so powerful that there seemed to be no

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