--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When young black men reach a certain age…" description: "\"When young black men reach a certain age - whether or not there is incarceration in their families - they themselves are the target of police stops, in..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/michelle-alexander-750_age_when-young-black-men-reach-a-certain-age_2970903.jpg" --- # When young black men reach a certain age - whether or not… ![“When young black men reach a certain age - whether or not there is incarceration in their families - they themselves are the target of police stops, interrogations, frisks, often for no reason other than their race. And, of course, this level of harassment sends a message to them, often at an…” quote by Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/michelle-alexander-750_age_when-young-black-men-reach-a-certain-age_2970903.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/michelle-alexander-750_age_when-young-black-men-reach-a-certain-age_2970903.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/michelle-alexander-750_age_when-young-black-men-reach-a-certain-age_2970903.jpg) > “When young black men reach a certain age - whether or not there is incarceration in their families - they themselves are the target of police stops, interrogations, frisks, often for no reason other than their race. And, of course, this level of harassment sends a message to them, often at an early age: No matter who you are or what you do, you're going to find yourself behind bars one way or the other. This reinforces the sense that prison is part of their destiny, rather than a choice one makes.” [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Racial profiling of young black men creates a self‑fulfilling prophecy of incarceration, shaping a perceived destiny of imprisonment. **In simple terms:** Police targeting pushes black youth toward imprisonment. Key Takeaway Challenge systemic bias in policing. Themes racism criminal justice identity Mood urgent somber Type sociopolitical activist When to use this quote - law reform - community mentorship - public education Key Concepts institutional racism social conditioning destiny narrative Questions to Reflect On - How can communities break the cycle of profiling? - What role does media play in reinforcing stereotypes? A Different Perspective Changing laws alone won’t shift deep‑rooted attitudes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Age Incarceration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age-incarceration-4573064/) [Bars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bars/) [Behinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behinds/) [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Black Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-men-275532/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courses/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destiny/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Finding yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finding-yourself/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Harassment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harassment/) [Incarceration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incarceration/) [Incarceration Families](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incarceration-families-4573065/) [Interrogation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interrogation/) [Levels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/levels/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Messages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messages/) [No reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/no-reason/) [One way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-way/) [Police](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police/) [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Target](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/target/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Who you are](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who-you-are/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) ## Related quotes > [“Although a million black men can be found in prisons and jails, public acknowledgment of the role of the criminal justice system in "disappearing"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/although-a-million-black-men-can-be-found-in-prisons-and-jails-public/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Black men with criminal records are the most severely disadvantaged group in the labor market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/black-men-with-criminal-records-are-the-most-severely-disadvantaged/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [One study conducted in Washington, D.C. indicated that 3 out of 4 black men, and nearly all those living in the poorest neighborhoods could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/one-study-conducted-in-washington-d-c-indicated-that-3-out-of-4-black/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The fact that more than half of the young black men in any large American city are currently under the control of the criminal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-fact-that-more-than-half-of-the-young-black-men-in-any-large/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [ Eventually \[black men\] are arrested, whether they've committed any serious crime or not, and branded criminals or felons for life. Upon release, they're ushered… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/eventually-black-men-are-arrested-whether-they-ve-committed-any/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Nationwide, 1 in 3 black men can expect to serve time behind bars, but the rates are far higher in segregated and impoverished black communities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/nationwide-1-in-3-black-men-can-expect-to-serve-time-behind-bars-but/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [In some cities such as Washington, DC, that 75 percent of young black men can expect to serve time in prison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/in-some-cities-such-as-washington-dc-that-75-percent-of-young-black/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [There are more black men incarcerated today than there were slaves in 1850.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/there-are-more-black-men-incarcerated-today-than-there-were-slaves-in/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [ For the rest of their lives, \[black men\] can be denied the right to vote, automatically excluded from juries, and legally discriminated against in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/for-the-rest-of-their-lives-black-men-can-be-denied-the-right-to-vote/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Black men in ghetto communities (and many who live in middle class communities) are targeted by the police at early ages, often before they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/black-men-in-ghetto-communities-and-many-who-live-in-middle-class/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“As a society, our decision to heap shame and contempt upon those who struggle and fail in a system designed to keep them locked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/as-a-society-our-decision-to-heap-shame-and-contempt-upon-those-who/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“The impact of the new caste system is most tragically felt among the young. In Chicago (as in other cities across the United States),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-impact-of-the-new-caste-system-is-most-tragically-felt-among-the/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [If you take into account prisoners, a large majority of African American men in some urban areas, like Chicago, have been labeled felons for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/if-you-take-into-account-prisoners-a-large-majority-of-african/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The mass incarceration of poor people of color, particularly black men, has emerged as a new caste system, one specifically designed to address the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-mass-incarceration-of-poor-people-of-color-particularly-black-men/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [If we continue to tell ourselves the popular myths about racial progress or, worse yet, if we say to ourselves that the problem of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/if-we-continue-to-tell-ourselves-the-popular-myths-about-racial/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) ## More by Michelle Alexander > [If you ask for good schools, you aren't likely to get them. If you ask for jobs or economic investment, you won't get that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/if-you-ask-for-good-schools-you-aren-t-likely-to-get-them-if-you-ask/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The uncomfortable reality we must face is that California, like the nation as a whole, has treated generations of African Americans and Latinos as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-uncomfortable-reality-we-must-face-is-that-california-like-the/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“Seeing race is not the problem. Refusing to care for the people we see is the problem. The fact that the meaning of race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/seeing-race-is-not-the-problem-refusing-to-care-for-the-people-we-see/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Since the nations founding, African Americans repeatedly have been controlled through institutions such as slavery and Jim Crow, which appear to die but then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/since-the-nations-founding-african-americans-repeatedly-have-been/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“Felon disenfranchisement laws have been more effective in eliminating black voters in the age of mass incarceration than they were under Jim Crow…These figures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/felon-disenfranchisement-laws-have-been-more-effective-in-eliminating/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“That was King’s dream—a society that is capable of seeing each of us, as we are, with love. That is a goal worth fighting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/that-was-king-s-dream-a-society-that-is-capable-of-seeing-each-of-us/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Activists take the risks, while advocates are professional tinkerers with the system. What's necessary is for those who are advocates to support those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/activists-take-the-risks-while-advocates-are-professional-tinkerers/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“Civil rights protests were frequently depicted as criminal rather than political in nature, and federal courts were accused of excessive “lenience” toward lawlessness, thereby…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/civil-rights-protests-were-frequently-depicted-as-criminal-rather/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [We cannot 'fix' the police without a revolution of values and radical change to the basic structure of our society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/we-cannot-fix-the-police-without-a-revolution-of-values-and-radical/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [If we continue to tell ourselves the popular myths about racial progress or, worse yet, if we say to ourselves that the problem of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/if-we-continue-to-tell-ourselves-the-popular-myths-about-racial/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The mass incarceration of poor people of color, particularly black men, has emerged as a new caste system, one specifically designed to address the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-mass-incarceration-of-poor-people-of-color-particularly-black-men/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [ “\[T\]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… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/t-he-slave-went-free-stood-a-brief-moment-in-the-sun-then-moved-back/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [If you take into account prisoners, a large majority of African American men in some urban areas, like Chicago, have been labeled felons for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/if-you-take-into-account-prisoners-a-large-majority-of-african/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“A new civil rights movement cannot be organized around the relics of the earlier system of control if it is to address meaningfully the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/a-new-civil-rights-movement-cannot-be-organized-around-the-relics-of/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The rules and reasons the political system employs to enforce status relations of any kind, including racial hierarchy, evolve and change as they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-rules-and-reasons-the-political-system-employs-to-enforce-status/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) [Explore all 381 Michelle Alexander quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When young black men reach a certain age - whether or not there is incarceration in their families - they themselves are the target of police stops, interrogations, frisks, often for no reason other than their race. And, of course, this level of harassment sends a message to them, often at an early age: No matter who you are or what you do, you're going to find yourself behind bars one way or the other. This reinforces the sense that prison is part of their destiny, rather than a choice one makes.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michelle Alexander" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/when-young-black-men-reach-a-certain-age-whether-or-not-there-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/when-young-black-men-reach-a-certain-age-whether-or-not-there-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/michelle-alexander-750_age_when-young-black-men-reach-a-certain-age_2970903.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/michelle-alexander-750_age_when-young-black-men-reach-a-certain-age_2970903.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/michelle-alexander-750_age_when-young-black-men-reach-a-certain-age_2970903.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When young black men reach a certain age - whether or not there is incarceration in their families - they…” — Michelle Alexander", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Michelle Alexander", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When young black men reach a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/when-young-black-men-reach-a-certain-age-whether-or-not-there-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/when-young-black-men-reach-a-certain-age-whether-or-not-there-is/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```