This week, our team shares five ways that we have been learning about racial justice.
Watch “The Broken Policing System” by the Patriot Act with Hasan Minaj
This episode was published in September in 2019, but it is more applicable than ever to watch today. I did not know much about policing in the United States generally, and this episode really opened my eyes to the systems in place that protect officers. Officers like Derek Chauvin, who had 17 prior complaints, a few of which included violent previous encounters that should have prevented him from still being employed by the Minneapolis Police Department. This isn’t unique, as protests in some areas have turned violent and there have been further examples of police brutality, a number of officers involved in these interactions have had dozens, in some cases even over 70 prior complaints, and still work freely. This episode helped address it and I think is a must watch for anyone to gain insight on how the policing system in this country truly operates.
Kelly
Listen to “The Systems that Protect Policing” from the New York Times Daily
This podcast episode, like the suggestions above, dives into the policing strategies currently used, and how police reform has been incredibly different to enact in the past. In only 23 minutes, this podcast clearly explains the laws in place that prevent bringing officers who commit acts of violence to justice, and creates a framework for how policy could reform to decrease police violence. This episode specifically breaks down how powerful systems like police unions prevent dramatic change within a department and protect law enforcement from facing consequences for violent actions. As someone interested in policy, this podcast and the other resources listed on this week’s Five Things have helped me to better understand what changes need to be made to decrease police violence against communities of color and how to better hold law enforcement accountable for unjust violence.
Eve
Read Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
This intelligent and emotional read follows the stories of two African sisters – Effia and Esi – with starkly different destinies. One is a slave trader’s wife, while the other is sold into slavery. Spanning the stories of seven generations of the sisters’ descendants, Homegoing takes us from an Asante village in the Gold Coast of Africa to the cotton-picking farms in Mississippi, from the mines in Pratt City to the dive bars of Harlem, from modern-day Ghana to Stanford University. Yaa Gyasi, with the story of one family, tells us a story of black people in America.
This book gives an intimate account of the story of America built on black labor in a way that I have never experienced before.
Pragya
Read Democracy in Black
I just finished reading this book, written by Princeton professor Eddie S. Glaude Jr. Through interviews with Ferguson protesters, stories from his own life, and reflections on Black leadership, Glaude makes a compelling argument for fundamental changes in American society. His argument hinges on the value gap — the idea that white lives are valued more than others’ lives in America. From this value gap comes inequality in education and health care, police brutality against Black people, and persistent economic disparity. Glaude argues that ameliorating social ills fundamentally requires valuing Black and minority lives. Democracy in Black challenged me to rethink how democracy does and doesn’t function in America.
Alexa
Check out Campaign Zero
This Tuesday may have been better known to many as #BlackOutTuesday, a movement intended to encourage social media users to pause their posting of usual content and stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement by reflecting on recent events and continuing to uplift Black voices. To educate myself about the intersection of systemic racism and police brutality, I explored a policy initiative known as Campaign Zero, which was co-founded by Black activists DeRay Mckesson, Samuel Sinyangwe, and Brittney Packnett Cunningham. With respect to community demands and policy recommendations informed by data, research, and human rights principles, Campaign Zero puts forth a comprehensive set of policy solutions to address the needed transformation of the American policing system. At local, state, and national levels, the initiative approaches these policy changes from social, economic, and legal perspectives by addressing topics like “broken windows” policing, for-profit policing, and community oversight. Ongoing projects by Campaign Zero to also check out include Mapping Police Violence, Police Use of Force Project, and Police Union Contract Project.
Yuna
Looking for more ways to learn about racial justice? Check out our full list of resources.
- College Football, Ariana Grande, and Water - September 3, 2023
- Livestock and Land Use: How Are We Feeding The Planet? Impactfull April 2022 - April 19, 2022
- What Does Voluntourism Look Like? A Case Study in a Cambodian Orphanage - March 28, 2022