The New Jim Crow
By Michelle Alexander
"Law professor Alexander argues that the War on Drugs and policies that deny convicted felons equal access to employment, housing, education, and public benefits create a permanent under caste based largely on race. As the United States celebrates the nation's "triumph over race" with the election of Barack Obama, the majority of young black men in major American cities are locked behind bars or have been labeled felons for life. Although Jim Crow laws have been wiped off the books, an astounding percentage of the African American community remains trapped in a subordinate status - much like their grandparents before them. Alexander shows that, by targeting black men and decimating communities of color, the U.S. criminal justice system functions as a contemporary system of racial control, even as it formally adheres to the principle of color blindness. The New Jim Crow challenges the civil rights community - and all of us - to place mass incarceration at the forefront of a new movement for racial justice in America." - Goodreads
Why was this book challenged?
Banned book element tile
Reasons: Racial Content
The New Jim Crowe by Michelle Alexander has been banned in prisons in 2 states because according to this New York Times article, the book is allegedly “likely to provoke confrontation between racial groups."
Books that address issues of systemic racism are often targeted for censorship, see our Frequently Asked Questions webpage for more information.
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