I see the connections between our history and how people are treated and thought of today, and the connections between redlining and relative wealth of different social groups. I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around some of the Law and Order statements because I would have liked to hear more specific examples of how actual laws are biased. I think if someone breaks a window that doesn't belong to them, there should be consequences and reparations. In my mind, enforcing that is law and order, and it is not biased. (I agree that how the laws are carried out, enforced, or punished is probably biased).
I had no idea that the rate of incarceration has increased so dramatically recently. It never really occurred to me that there could be other solution, because the people in prison are "criminals" and what else could we do with them? Alternatives to prison is definitely an idea worth exploring.
As I learn more about our country and the state it's in, I keep feeling like these are really huge problems, and how can I make a difference? I guess for me, having conversations with people and examining my own ideas and attitudes. This weekend I had a conversation with my mom in which I pointed out that Aunt Jemima promotes the idea that black women should wear kerchiefs and work in the kitchen. I think that conversation adjusted her thinking to a slightly more anti-racist direction. I am not a mover and shaker, but I can affect the people around me. That's a place to start.
