African american Quote by Noam Chomsky
“We recriminalized black life. Incarceration rates since the 1908s have gone through the roof, overwhelmingly black males, women and Hispanics to some extent. Essentially re-doing what happened under Reconstruction. That's the history of African Americans - so how can any one say there's no problem. Sure, racism is serious, but it's worse than that.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Public lecture on systemic racism, 2022
He argues that mass incarceration disproportionately targets Black people, continuing historic oppression.
In simple terms: Mass imprisonment of Black people shows ongoing racism.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and challenge systemic inequities.
Themes
racism
justice
policy
history
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
political
educational
When to use this quote
- criminal justice reform
- education
- activism
- policy making
Key Concepts
structural racism
mass incarceration
Questions to Reflect On
- What policies perpetuate disparity?
- How can communities support reform?
A Different Perspective
Addressing racism requires more than acknowledging statistics.
![“I wrote an article about the marine landing [in Haiti] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two months later and I assumed by then, "of course, everybody knows." Nobody knew. There was a news report in the Wall Street Journal, in the petroleum journals, and…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dc5/noam-chomsky-42_articles_i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-land_13341.jpg)
