In her essay, “The New Jim Crow,” civil rights lawyer Michelle Alexander discusses how minorities are negatively affected by the criminal justice system. She states that this unjust system conceals a form of control by U.S. lawmakers and law enforcement  which causes African Americans to lose their rights. Alexander argues that these laws cause mass incarceration and are similar to the laws of the Jim Crow Era. She examines the issue that revolves around the understanding of oppression and racism as well as recognizes how mainstream media plays a role in this matter.   

Alexander begins her essay by discussing the impact of social media. Barack Obama delivered a speech on Father’s Day where he focused on the issue of absent fathers; this situation is common in the African American community. This particular speech became major news across mainstream media, where many praised Obama for speaking out on the subject. Alexander follows this by mentioning how many commentators fail to acknowledge that many of the absent fathers are found in prisons. She states, “He [social media commentator] identifies numerous social media problems plaguing black families, such as high levels of unemployment, discriminatory mortgage practices, and the gutting of early-childhood learning programs. Not a word was said about prisons” (23). She describes how problematic it is when individuals who hold high reputations and represent the African American community fail to recognize the issue of African Americans being held in control by the U.S. justice system. 

Alexander makes a point that people deny oppression being present, and she analyzes the reason behind this issue. In her essay, she refers to a book States of Denial written by criminologist Stanley Cohen. Cohen discusses how people are ignorant to acts of oppression and only see what they want to see; however, this ignorance is complicated due to the media. Alexander explains that over the past three decades, black and brown men in handcuffs have often been seen in the news. This image receives a lack of attention by the people because of how often it is shown. She continues to discuss how easy it is to overlook mass incarceration due to people’s typical understanding of oppression. She states, “As a society, our collective understanding of racism has been powerfully influenced by the shocking-images of the Jim Crow era and the struggle for civil rights” (26).  She describes how the people’s impression of racism is primarily based on extreme scenarios and causes a lack of understanding that racism and oppression come in a multitude of ways. 

A main point from Alexander’s essay is that the current laws of mass incarceration are similar to the laws from the Jim Crow Era. She provides multiple examples that show the comparison between the two time periods. An example she mentions concerns legalized discrimination. She explains how discrimination against African Americans affects most aspects of their lives. With mass incarceration, if a young African American is labeled a felon, they unfortunately face a lifelong consequence of legal discrimination. This shows a clear resemblance to the Jim Crow Era, where an individual’s rights were negatively impacted.

Commentary 

Personal Views of Repetition in History

Reading this essay made me view this issue on a greater scale and understand the impact that it has made on minorities. She critiques Obama because when he speaks out on how black fathers are often missing, he does not state where they have gone missing. Alexander addresses the issue that many African American men are under the control of the criminal justice system. I found it interesting, because I did not realize how harshly the criminal justice system impacts minorities. It is wrong and unfair, and I agree with the author of this essay that it should be talked about more. 

Another point in this essay that I found interesting was the idea that people deny that oppression exists and choose to see what they want to see. This thought made me realize times where I or people I know look past the negative aspects in society. Therefore, I understand why individuals would be blind to oppression. This is not an excuse to disregard these issues; however, this ignorance is more common than most people think. With social media, the negative image of minorities being arrested has become common, and I agree with Alexander’s point that it creates a lack of attention within society. 

Overall, this essay has been very informative and has opened many perspectives on the topic of mass incarceration. I believe that Alexander is a well-written author and that her points should be considered by more people. While reading this essay, I agreed with most of her points and I found that her use of facts and statistics worked well with her arguments.

Work Cited 

Alexander, Michelle. “The New Jim Crow.” 2010. Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing, edited by Gary Colombo et al., 12thed., Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2022, pp.21-36.