The New Jim Crow

By Brandon Wallace ‘17

Civil rights activist and author Michelle Alexander addressed judicial system inequities at a February 12 lecture at Bradley. Alexander, author of “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness,” urged students and community members to challenge a system that now controls more African Americans than it did in 1850.

“Nationally, crime rates are at historic lows, but incarceration rates, especially among blacks, have continued to soar,” she said. “In large urban areas, more than half of working-age African-Americans have been saddled with criminal records. They can be denied the right to vote, automatically excluded from juries, and legally discriminated against in virtually every aspect of social, economic, and political life.”

She pointed to the war on drugs and racial discrimination by law enforcement as key factors in the high number of African-Americans being arrested.

“Once the system sets its sights on you, it’s nearly impossible to escape its grip,” Alexander said.

In addition to the lecture, Alexander joined several community members in a dialogue about solutions to incarceration concerns. She was joined by Dr. Marwin Spiller, Associate Dean of Social Sciences at Illinois Central College; the Rev. Reverend Hoke, President of the Peoria Chapter of the National Interfaith Alliance and James E. Shadid, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois.