African american Quote by Michelle Alexander
“Today there are more African-Americans under correctional control, in prison or jail, on probation or parole, than were enslaved in 1850, a decade before the Civil War began. There are millions of African-Americans now cycling in and out of prisons and jails or under correctional control or saddled with criminal records. In major American cities today, more than half of working-age African-American men either are under correctional control or are branded felons, and are thus subject to legalized discrimination for the rest of their lives.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, 2010
Mass incarceration disproportionately affects African-American men, creating a cycle of legal and social disadvantages.
In simple terms: Black men face high rates of imprisonment and its lasting impacts.
Key Takeaway
Address systemic bias and reform criminal justice.
Themes
racial inequality
mass incarceration
systemic racism
social justice
Mood
somber
determined
Type
analytical
advocacy
When to use this quote
- policy advocacy
- community support
- legal aid
- education reform
Key Concepts
Criminal justice reform
racial disparities
civil rights
Questions to Reflect On
- How can communities rebuild after mass incarceration?
- What policies most effectively reduce disparity?
A Different Perspective
Reforms alone cannot erase deep‑rooted societal prejudice.
![“[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)
