"Recently, I had the privilege of having a conversation with Michelle Alexander, author of the influential book The New Jim Crow: Colorblindness in an Age of Mass Incarceration
(The New Press). One of the country's foremost commentators on racial
justice, Alexander argues that mass incarceration is but an updating of
the racial regimes that thrived first during African enslavement in the
colonies and on through the era of systemic racial segregation and
disenfranchisement. That is, through our criminal justice and penal
systems we have re-created the systems of racial caste and control that
have long marked our nation. Her book is a very sobering portrayal of
our social reality.
"Yet what made the evening especially memorable is that while
Alexander is a lawyer by profession and training, she left her law
practice to enroll and teach in a seminary. I asked why she would leave a
lucrative (and socially prestigious) occupation to pursue religion and
faith. She responded that she came to realize that while legal
strategies and policy changes are essential tools, they are insufficient
for dealing with the scourge of racism. She declared that the problems
facing the nation can be resolved only by going where the law and social
analysis cannot take us. The solutions to our social ills, she
believes, lie in the realm of the spirit."
In a recent article, Father Bryan Massingale (professor of theological and social ethics at Fordham University, New York, NY) reflected on Ms. Alexander's thoughts and on the need for "responses that engage the soul."
To access Fr. Massingale's complete article, please visit:
U.S. Catholic: To dismantle racism, we must heal the human spirit (January 2019)
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