Blog 4 - Defining Racism "Can We Talk?" by Beverly Tatum - Hyperlink

    In her book, Tatum discusses the nature of racism, where it is often derived from and how it continues to permeate our society. One important aspect of racism Tatum touches on is when she brings up David Wellman's description of it. Defining racism as "a system of advantages based on race" provides a framework for understanding how race permeates through our lives as a whole in the United States. Because at this point in time racism in this country is not necessarily overt. The primary concern for black and brown people in America isn't that they'll be called a slur or denied a service based on their race. While racism certainly can and does still exist in this way, it is systemic issues that are at the forefront. 

    As detailed by Sarah Dadouch of The Washington Post, extreme systemic racism is occurring in our prisons. The article, U.N. experts allege systemic racism and rights abuses in U.S. prisons, discusses several reports on racist practices in our prisons. One of the main issues brought up by experts includes drug laws and policies that disproportionately cause people of African descent to have harmful interactions with police and the legal system. A report linked in the article discusses the unethical practice of forced labor in prisons, calling it modern slavery. Poor prison practices disproportionately effect Black people because they are disproportionately sentenced. 



Comments

  1. I never was aware of the racism practices that are held in prisons, so this was very informative. I like how you added statistics as a picture because it gives a visual representation.

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