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
There has been an outpouring of anger and concern because of the actions of George Zimmerman, a private citizen who profiled a young boy and pursued him and tried to confront him, perhaps. But what George Zimmerman did is no different than what police officers do every day as a matter of standard operating procedure.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the complexity of societal reactions to individual actions versus systemic behavior.
Michelle Alexander's quote critiques the societal outrage directed at George Zimmerman's actions, suggesting that such behavior mirrors the standard practices of law enforcement. By drawing this parallel, she emphasizes a broader systemic issue regarding profiling and the often normalized practices within policing that can lead to harmful consequences in society.
Themes
ProfilingJusticeSystemicOutragePolicing
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on systemic racism, this quote could be used to illustrate how individual actions often reflect broader societal issues.
More from Michelle Alexander
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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No other country in the world imprisons so many of its racial or ethnic minorities. The United States imprisons a larger percentage of its black population than South Africa did at the height of apartheid
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The cyclical rebirth of caste in America is a recurring racial nightmare.
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