Lawyers' Committee Hosts Discussion and Book Signing with Michelle Alexander
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 06, 2010
CONTACT:
Stacie B. Royster
202-662-8317, office
sroyster@lawyerscommittee.org
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 6, 2010 - The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, along with members of the civil rights, drug policy reform and criminal justice communities hosted esteemed civil rights advocate and author Michelle Alexander during a discussion and book signing of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness on Thursday, May 6, 2010. Ms. Alexander's first book, which has garnered national acclaim, focuses needed attention on the disproportionate impact and residual consequences faced by minorities trapped in the criminal justice system.
"Like Jim Crow, mass incarceration marginalizes large segments of the African American community, segregates them physically in prisons, jails and ghettos, and then authorizes discrimination against them in voting, employment, housing, education, public benefits and jury service," said Michelle Alexander. "So many of the old forms of discrimination - the ones we supposedly left behind - are suddenly legal again, once you've been branded a felon."
Remarks given by Barbara Arnwine, Marcia Johnson-Blanco and Tanya Clay House, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; Nkechi Taifa, Open Society Institute; Kara Gotsch, the Sentencing Project; Sam Hutchinson and Judge Arthur Burnett Sr., National African American Drug Policy Coalition; and Jasmine Tyler, Drug Policy Alliance underscored many issues raised in Alexander's compelling book such as the shocking number of African Americans under correctional control ("There are more African Americans under correctional control today -- in prison or jail, on probation or parole -- than were enslaved in 1850, a decade before the Civil War began"), addressed the illusion of a colorblind society and provided insights on systemic and individual solutions to achieve true justice and equality for all.
The event, held at the Lawyers' Committee, was co-sponsored by the National African American Drug Policy Coalition, the Open Society Institute, the Sentencing Project, the Washington Bar Association and the Drug Policy Alliance. Books sold on site by Teaching for Change's Busboys and Poets Bookstore.
Quotes from co-sponsors/speakers:
"It's impossible to talk about criminal justice reform without addressing racial bias and disparity. A public safety strategy can only be effective if it is both fair and perceived as fair by all communities."
--Kara Gotsch, Director of Advocacy, the Sentencing Project
"Just as two sets of laws characterized the Jim Crow era, a double standard of justice typifies today's criminal justice system. Alexander poignantly beams a spotlight on issues at the juncture of race and justice and renews the call for a national movement to dismantle mass incarceration."
-- Nkechi Taifa, Senior Policy Analyst, the Open Society Institute
"Ms. Alexander's bold challenge to incorporate drug policy reform in civil rights advocacy is long overdue. Civil rights advocates must undo the new Jim Crow by putting an end to the hyper-surveillance, criminalization, and second class citizenship of black and brown Americans who use, or sell, drugs."
--Jasmine Tyler, MA, Deputy Director, National Affairs, Drug Policy Alliance
"Ms. Alexander has issued a call to arms that cannot be ignored. The Lawyers' Committee remains committed to attacking barriers to equality and justice and assuring equal access to education, employment, voting and housing opportunities. Addressing sentencing disparities and the misuse of background checks in employment with our Access Campaign, advocating for strong civil rights protections the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), fighting against felon disfranchisement laws and improper use of background check polices in our litigation, we continue our quest to ensure equality of opportunity in our federal government and private sector for all citizens."
--Barbara Arnwine, Executive Director, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (LCCRUL), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. The principal mission of the Lawyers' Committee is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice under law, particularly in the areas of fair housing and fair lending, community development, employment; voting; education and environmental justice. For more information about the LCCRUL, visit www.lawyerscommittee.org.
