Inspire Seattle Jan 25: No New Jim Crow

Invites YOU to join our  social on   Saturday, January 25, 2014 at 6:30pm * 
Main discussion topic for this evening: 

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Following the Civil War and continuing right into the 1960s, African-Americans were racially segregated and systematically discriminated against by a series of local and state laws that collectively became known as Jim Crow laws. These laws would eventually be undermined by the Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. But has the United States truly achieved legal equality for all of its citizens? In 2010 Michelle Alexander published The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness and she argues that “we have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it.” Now it is the U.S. criminal justice system that targets black men with higher conviction rates and longer sentences under the “War on Drugs”. These practices decimate communities of color and relegate millions to a permanent second-class status as “ex-cons”.

No New Jim Crow Seattle Campaign is one of several groups in the Seattle/King County area, working to promote positive alternatives to jails, prisons, and punishments. Mary Paterson and other participants from the No New Jim Crow Seattle Campaign will speak at this gathering about transformative/restorative justice as a real alternative that is within our grasp. Their presence in the Seattle area has started the process with education and community organizing programs that will be needed in this next step.

Come join us for what should be a very important and interesting evening!!!

About InspireSeattle:
InspireSeattle is a progressive network of Seattle-area people sharing ideas and supporting action. InspireSeattle’s vision is to create connection throughout our community and better community through activism. InspireSeattle’s mission is to provide a fun, supportive gathering for people who care deeply about our community, our country and our planet. We embrace progressive policies that improve our society and protect our environment. We discuss current issues, share ideas and activism efforts while striving to inspire additional action. Subscribe (or unsubscribe) to InspireSeattle by visiting www.inspireseattle.org/contact.html.