In 2004, there were more black men disenfranchised than in 1870 - the year the 15th Amendment was ratified, prohibiting laws that deny the right to vote exclusively on the basis of race.
Michelle AlexanderRead
As described in 'The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness,' the cyclical rebirth of caste in America is a recurring racial nightmare.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the persistent issue of racial inequality in America as a cyclical pattern of oppression.
Michelle Alexander's quote reflects on how systemic racism and social hierarchies continuously manifest in American society. By referring to the 'cyclical rebirth of caste,' she emphasizes that despite progress, the fundamental issues of race and inequality remain entrenched, resembling an unending nightmare for marginalized communities. This perspective urges society to confront and dismantle these persistent structures of injustice.
Themes
RaceInequalityCasteSystemic RacismJustice
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on social justice at a seminar.
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All quotes →My experience and research has led me to the regrettable conclusion that our system of mass incarceration functions more like a caste system than a system of crime prevention or control.
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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 (and nearly all those in the poorest neighborhoods) can expect to serve time in prison.
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We have avoided in recent years talking openly and honestly about race out of fear that it will alienate and polarize. In my own view, it’s our refusal to deal openly and honestly with race that leads us to keep repeating these cycles of exclusion and division, and rebirthing a caste-like system that we claim we’ve left behind
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Michelle AlexanderRead
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