In 2004, there were more black men disenfranchised than in 1870 - the year the 15th Amendment was ratified, prohibiting laws that deny the right to vote exclusively on the basis of race.
Michelle AlexanderRead
Since the nation's founding, African Americans repeatedly have been controlled through institutions such as slavery and Jim Crow, which appear to die, but then are reborn in new form, tailored to the needs and constraints of the time.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote discusses the persistent oppression of African Americans through changing institutional forms over time.
Michelle Alexander's quote highlights the historical and ongoing struggle of African Americans against various systems of oppression that may seem to have disappeared, only to re-emerge in different forms that adapt to contemporary societal conditions. This cyclical nature of control underscores the resilience required to confront and dismantle these enduring injustices.
Themes
OppressionJusticeResilienceHistoryAfrican American
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about civil rights, you might use this quote to illustrate the ongoing struggle faced by African Americans.
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All quotes →My experience and research has led me to the regrettable conclusion that our system of mass incarceration functions more like a caste system than a system of crime prevention or control.
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The United States imprisons a larger percentage of its black population than South Africa did at the height of apartheid. In Washington, D.C., our nation’s capitol, it is estimated that three out of four young black men (and nearly all those in the poorest neighborhoods) can expect to serve time in prison.
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We have avoided in recent years talking openly and honestly about race out of fear that it will alienate and polarize. In my own view, it’s our refusal to deal openly and honestly with race that leads us to keep repeating these cycles of exclusion and division, and rebirthing a caste-like system that we claim we’ve left behind
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Michelle AlexanderRead
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