By AMEARA DITSCHE, Editor-in-Chief
Best-selling author Michelle Alexander stopped by Saint Rose for a community conversation about mass incarceration. Alexander wrote the book The New Jim Crow which outlines how mass incarceration works as a way to criminalize being Black, similar to the Jim Crow laws of the post-Civil war era.
Michelle Alexander filled the Picotte recital hall with students, faculty, and community members. The talk was in tandem with UAlbany and The New York Writers Institute; prior to the public speech Alexander met privately with a group of students from both schools. There they discussed topics like the school to prison pipeline and how as students they can get involved.
Stefan Ivanov attended the student panel as well as the speech. “Professor Alexander talked about her book and new caste systems being born,” he said. “Someone asked, ‘how do we anticipate the next system?’” he added. “We’re already there,” responded Alexander.
Ivanov is a graduate student at UAlbany, studying Mass Incarceration. He also mentioned that they spoke about prisons evolving technologically.
The public panel was moderated by Angela Ledford and Risa Fausette of the Saint Rose political science department, Jennifer Burns, a professor of Africana studies at UAlbany, and Alice Green, a local author and activist. The academics were given the chance to ask questions and share some of their own perspectives.
In her classes, Angela Ledford incorporates the themes the panelists discussed. Several of the panelists brought up the capitalist motivations behind mass incarceration.
“Capitalism is more than an economic system. It is also a hegemonic ideological force. It’s deeply destructive to individuals as well as the planet.” said Ledford over email. For students looking to learn the history of these systems, she recommends “reading the work of Marx, Foucault, Cedric Robinson, Adolph Reed, Mike Davis, Angela Davis, Ed Baptist, and Sven Beckert.”
Many community members with no affiliation to either college were in attendance. Ira Mckinley is a filmmaker who created the documentary “The Throwaways” in 2013. The film exposed mass incarceration of Black men through his eyes as someone who has been incarcerated and homeless. Michelle Alexander was featured in the film.
“I haven’t seen Michelle in 10 years, well about 7 years. I was dealing with homelessness, and I read her book and I just happened to call her up, I wanted to make a film.”
Mckinley spoke up during the Q&A about the wide-spread ignorance of the issues facing formerly incarcerated people. “I felt like nobody seen us as people,”
To students, Mckinley says “Never give up, it took me 15 years. I was homeless for 15 years.” Mckinley has another film out this year called “Outta The Muck.”
President Marcia White opened the event by welcoming the audience and speaking about the Saint Rose mission. “I think it’s very important that we give students the opportunity to explore and examine social issues such as the prison system,” said White.
“What are the issues that really affect us as a society? How do we evaluate it, how do we determine change that needs to happen?” she added.
“How do we become a part of that change?”
