BY: SYLVIA FRANCA In 2008, America elected its first black president. “It seemed so heady – such a landmark moment in racial justice.”[1] The election of an African-American to our highest political office was alleged to demonstrate a triumph of integration.[2] Americans of all stripes were justifiably proud when the country elected President Barack Obama, […]
BY: SOFIA TARAFA As Lyndon B. Johnson once observed, “A man without a vote is a man without protection. He is virtually helpless.”[1] Sadly, millions of U.S. citizens are rendered helpless by felon disenfranchisement laws.[2] These laws not only leave those convicted of a felony without a vote, but also deprive the U.S. of a […]
BY: SAWYEH ESMAILI The United States has had the world’s highest incarceration rate since 2002.[1] A racialized perception of crime and a broken criminal justice system are behind the globe’s largest prison population. Our country’s response to crime and the media’s coverage of those who perpetrate it reflect the deeply ingrained racial bias of the […]
BY: ROBERT HAJIR Let’s be honest: terms like the “Ferguson effect[1]” and the “ACLU effect[2]”[3] are racially prejudicial against young, African-American men. These terms insinuate that aggressive policing tactics are necessary to subdue this group into lawful obedience. Without enforcement, “Ferguson effect” believers think that young black men would commit violent crimes at a pace […]
