Book Group Reads “The New Jim Crow”

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Reading and discussion group

new-jim-crow-cover

The New Jim Crow

Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness

by: Michelle Alexander

“we have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it.” ~ Michelle Alexander

 “I want us to invoke the Power To Know.  There is a call to start a movement to help overturn the devastation of the War on Drugs and mass incarceration through the Prison Industrial Complex. But before we start a movement, we have to know what we are up against.” ~ T. Thorn Coyle

Please join us in a reading and discussion group of “The New Jim Crow:  Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” by Michelle Alexander;  “With dazzling candor, legal scholar Michelle Alexander argues that…[b]y targeting black men through the War on Drugs and decimating communities of color, the U.S. criminal justice system functions as a contemporary system of racial control—relegating millions to a permanent second-class status—even as it formally adheres to the principle of colorblindness. In the words of Benjamin Todd Jealous, president and CEO of the NAACP, this book is a ‘call to action.’”

For more information, watch this interview with Michelle Alexander about the book.

The intention of this reading and discussion group is to explore Alexander’s work and to deepen our awareness of race and oppression in America.  We also hope to examine privilege and power in support of living racially just lives.  We will provide hot tea and a warm space to meet for monthly gatherings.  We will read two chapters each month in preparation for our discussions (see breakdown below), using this study guide.

You are welcome to join us as we explore this invaluable book and share inspiration for change.

Meeting Dates

  • Wednesday, October 15, 2014 – 7 to 9 PM CST:  Discuss chapters 1&2
  • Wednesday, November 19, 2014 – 7 to 9 PM CST:  Discuss chapters 3&4
  • Wednesday, December 17, 2014 – 7 to 9 PM CST:  Discuss chapters 5&6

Location

Minneapolis, MN (address will be sent upon RSVP).  Hot tea and water provided.  Feel free to bring snacks or what you need to be comfortable.

Consider Bringing

Snacks are welcome but not necessary.  You may want to bring a journal/writing instrument and a pair of slippers (we will be in shoe-free space)

Cost

None

Send your RSVP and any questions to Jennifer (greenjenbyers at gmail dot com) or Teri (tpstar at mninter dot net).