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Summary Of The New Jim Crow By Michelle Alexander

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Michelle Alexander argues "the Constitution was designed so the federal government would be weak, not only in its relationship to private property, but also in relationship to the rights of states to conduct their own affairs. The language of the Constitution itself was deliberately colorblind (the words slave or Negro were never used), but the document was built upon a compromise regarding the prevailing racial caste system" (19). She goes on to identify the three major "racial caste systems" that have existed in the United States and how the Constitution has specifically been used in constructing these castes.
What are the three major racial caste systems discussed by Alexander? What constitutes the New
Jim Crow and how does it impact the …show more content…

Finally, why do you think most Black celebrities, athletes, and entertainers have been hesitant to publicly protest against police brutality and support Black Lives
Matter in the way that Colin Kaepernick has done?
The constitution that we lay upon this nation says that we have our equal rights to many things, but not for certain races. In the book, “The New Jim Crow” by Michelle Alexander explains how African American lives are affected during the new era of Jim Crow. Through the New Jim
Crow, it impacted many African American lives, and that lay a foundation for many organizations and people to retaliate towards the brutality that they have upon them. In this essay, I will explain the three major racial castes that Alexander discussed and how both Republicans and Democratic are responsible for this caste system, how the new Jim Crow impacted the Black community and how it is like the “old” Jim Crow, the relations between the New Jim Crow and #BlackLivesMatter, and finally famous figures fight against police brutality and support Black Lives Matter.
The three major caste systems that Alexander explained in her book are enslavement,
Jim Crow, and mass incarceration. In this quote, “The notion of white supremacy rationalized …show more content…

No matter what they have done, small to large crimes, they are labeled as criminals and prisoners and seeing nothing more than that causing a permanent a second-class citizenship. Once release out of prison, former prisoners enter a world that is invisible to others where discrimination and permanent social exclusion is legalized. In addition, police brutality also constitutes the New Jim Crow where police officers racially profile
African Americans civilians usually ending in violence and death. With police brutality happening over the U.S. it places a fear amongst communities fearing the authorities. The old Jim Crow was not stated in the constitution however they knew of this existence because due to the fact that
African Americans were openly segregated in stores, schools, and many other public places. Just like the new Jim Crow, it was put into a new form that is much harder for an African American to see. Nowadays, it does not affect people that are not of color anymore, but towards African
Americans. Since the new Jim Crow exists, there are movements to stop the growth of racial profiling and race base thinking.
#BlackLivesMatter is a movement that is attempting a society where we are

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For example, open Black support of harsh punishment and law enforcement may seem hypocritical because in reality these policies and practices contribute to mass incarceration of Blacks. Alexander clarifies that Black support is more complex than it appears and can be attributed to a combination of complicity and wanting better safety for their communities and families (Alexander, 2012, p.210). Alexander also offers a unique perspective throughout the entire book by explaining how the systems of slavery and oppression have affected White individuals and not merely in the form of privilege or the dismissal of White people as simply as racist individuals. I resonated with one particular section discussing the "White victims of racial caste" (Alexander, 2012, p.204); the author 's anecdote of a white woman falling in love with a Black man and due to miscegenation laws could not have children. I could relate to this story on a deeply personal level in that my own parents experienced extreme and countless hurdles due to their interracial relationship and having biracial

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