The reason why I have been looking forward to reading The New Jim Crow was because I have been focusing on the dangers of the Stop and Frisk law in New York City and across the United States recently, which not only violates against our civil liberties, but also is an act of racial profiling. What interested me even more was learning about how such a practice, in addition to the controversial “War on Drugs” came to be.

Deep-seated racism from white supremacist extremists that eventually become into the hegemonic norm is what causes such discrimination against black people, whether it was in the form of Bacon’s Rebellion, the failure of the Populist Party and its ideals, and the backlash to the Civil Rights Movement from segregationists that eventually manifested into “color-blind” racism through effective tactics from conservative leaders. The latest tactics included the portrayal of black people in the media as violent thugs, moochers, and welfare queens as a way to view “crime” as a problem instead of poverty, a problem which is rearing its ugly head today. The tactic of viewing black people negatively was what caused President Reagan to become extremely popular by many Americans, which caused him to deregulate corporations, leading to the immense class divide today.

The problem of poverty will not be solved unless racism is unlearned, and eventually eradicated. Poor and working class people would not be able to stand up against economic injustice in this society if there are racial tensions and conflicts among them.

What is even worse is that the problem with poverty disproportionately affects certain racial groups and black people are especially affected. The fact that black people are disproportionately arrested for drug crimes and other crimes amount for much more black prisoners, leading to lower voting rates, higher unemployment rates, and higher HIV rates. Even if there is not a change so radical as unlearning racism in the United States, there should at least be a more just criminal justice system.