African american Quote by Michelle Alexander
““Felon disenfranchisement laws have been more effective in eliminating black voters in the age of mass incarceration than they were during Jim Crow. Less than two decades after the War on Drugs began, one in seven black men nationally had lost the right to vote, and as many as one in four in those states with the highest African American disenfranchisement rate. These figures may understate the impact of felony disenfranchisement, because they do not take into account the millions of ex-felons who cannot vote in states that require ex-felons to pay fines or fees before their voting rights can be restored - the new poll tax. As legal scholar Pamela Karlan has observed, 'Felony disenfranchisement has decimated the potential black electorate.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The New Jim Crow, 2010
Felony disenfranchisement disproportionately suppresses Black voters, continuing racial inequities beyond overt segregation.
In simple terms: Voting bans hit Black communities hardest, echoing past racism.
Key Takeaway
Address and reform voting rights laws.
Themes
civil rights
justice
politics
law
racism
Mood
critical
urgent
Type
advocacy
analytical
When to use this quote
- policy reform
- legal challenges
- grassroots activism
- public awareness
Key Concepts
systemic discrimination
voter suppression
mass incarceration
Questions to Reflect On
- What reforms could ensure fair voting rights?
- How does disenfranchisement impact democracy?
A Different Perspective
Opponents claim such laws protect electoral integrity.
![“[T]he slave went free; stood a brief moment in the sun; then moved back again toward slavery. —W.E.B Du Bois, Black Reconstruction in America For” quote by Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fdb/michelle-alexander-750_slavery_t-he-slave-went-free-stood-a-brief-momen_96485.jpg)
