Race and Ethnicity Activity 8

Activity 8: Black Americans: Facing Slavery and Fighting for Justice

Time frame: 15 – 20 minutes
Setting: In-class group discussion or writing assignment
Source: Chapter 8 (Learning Objective: 8.7) from
Race and Ethnicity: Sociology in Action,
edited by: Kathleen Odell Korgen and Maxine P. Atkinson
Contributor(s): Richard Maurice Smith

Doing Sociology 8.7 The New Jim Crow

In this exercise, consider Michelle Alexander’s assertion (from her book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness) that the discriminatory policies described are similar in effect to Jim Crow laws. Write your answers to the following questions:

The subtitle of Alexander’s book is “Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.” What does Alexander mean by the “age of colorblindness”? How does Alexander’s assertion challenge the idea that we live in a colorblind society?
What similarities do you see between the Jim Crow laws of the past and the criminal justice system of the present?
Do you think our society uses the criminal justice system as means to justify racial inequality? Why or why not?

Note to Instructors:
This activity requires students to think about concepts and ideas covered in Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.