Michelle Alexander The New Jim Crow Analysis

Throughout the history of America, the African American community as a whole has been looked down upon and their rights have been minimized by groups of white supremacists. Indeed, slavery has been abolished and we are living in a world where minorities are “accepted”. However, there is still a lingering sense of hatred and entitlement from whites towards African Americans and other minorities in our country. These groups of white supremacists make sure that the African American community suffers. They employ strict laws that specifically target certain communities. Perhaps, they do this intentionally because they fear they will be overthrown by these minorities; they would to see their ‘inferiors’ rise above them.
One of the many ways the

The War on Drugs was purely political. Before the ‘war’ was implemented, illegal drug use was not a prominent issue in society, it was actually declining. The police force just enforced federal orders. Alexander wrote, “ Huge cash grants were made to those law enforcement agencies that were willing to make drug-law enforcement a top priority.” Here, Alexander pinpoints exactly why the police force took part in the War on Drugs.Alexander also writes, “Every system of control depends for its survival on the tangible and intangible benefits that are provided to those who are responsible for the system's maintenance and administration. This system is no exception.” The people in control of the system reap the most benefits. Alexander displays the corrupt power structure present in the government. She says our system of government is not an exception to this notion. Alexander uses the phrase “tangible and intangible benefits”, demonstrating that these people in control receive more than the common

After the Black Lives Matter movement began, the All Lives Matter ‘movement’ was created. The people who created the All Lives Matter were offended. Yet, nobody said ONLY black lives matter. The African American community was simply pointing out the fact that black lives DO matter. In The War on Cops, Mac Donald writes, “The Black Lives Matter narrative about racist law enforcement occurred in a vacuum; carefully excluded was any acknowledgment of inner-city crime and social breakdown. It was as if officers arbitrarily deployed more heavily in certain neighborhoods out of sheer desire to oppress. In reality, the police were in those areas because… a culture of drive-by shootings and gang warfare persisted, largely due to the breakdown of the black family.” Here, Mac Donald mocks the notion that the police force targets specific areas due to its demographics. However, she also marginalizes African Americans by employing the stereotype that African American communities are filled with crime. It is implied that all black communities are overrun by gangs, drugs, and guns. This in itself is an unfair conclusion to make. Alexander employs the word “culture”, as if to say the African American identity is defined by