Redlining feels like a legal strategy to perpetuate racism. Any time discriminating lines are drawn it deepens the racial divide. This is not a time for equality, and dividing by numbers and populations, this is a time for equity, in which some areas need more funding than others to have equal access. I have often thought about how lucky I am to have parents with a financially stable background. My dad came from poverty and my mom went to college when my sister and I were in school. If they didn't own a home, and they were shelling out rent, they would not be where they are today. And if they didn't have their white privilege, they might not have found their jobs, or been accepted into college in the first place. Black people have not had a chance to build and develop wealth like white people have. And this puts future generations of black people and POC in a vulnerable spot. If we want to level the playing field, we need to look at how we allocate funding. Which brings me to my next point, funding jails and incarcerating citizens at disproportionate levels.
Incarceration feels like an outdated tool to deal with the larger issues at hand. When you see the effects (and lack of restorative effects) that this method has on Black people, I wonder why it is still used. Even my son when he was four saw a show where people were locked up and told me that it seemed wrong and that the police should just try talking to the guy locked up because it probably made him feel worse having to be in jail and he should get another chance. If incarceration is not an agent of positive change, and instead seems to worsen the long term effects of living an independent and healthy life, we, as a society, should take a closer look. Do we want to raise "criminals" or do we want to raise citizens? I have seen the effects of teaching students whose fathers are in jail. The strain on the family is immense. Surely, we as a nation can do better. It reminds me of my reflection from the first set of videos in which it seems like the country is looking for any excuse to blame and mistreat minority groups in order to hold on to their white supremacy. Incarceration rates in this country have the same effect. Looking for ways to keep POC down by not providing an equitable chance.
