400 Year of Racism: The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

Folio presents a new series of book discussions exploring the history of racism in the United States through a collection fiction, nonfiction and poetry, curated and led by Folio librarian Lillian Dabney.

This month we discuss The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander. A stunning account of the rebirth of a caste-like system in the United States, one that has resulted in millions of African Americans locked behind bars and then relegated to a permanent second-class status—denied the very rights supposedly won in the Civil Rights Movement. Since its publication in 2010, the book has appeared on the New York Times bestseller list for more than a year; been dubbed the “secular bible of a new social movement” by numerous commentators, including Cornel West; and has led to consciousness-raising efforts in universities, churches, community centers, re-entry centers, and prisons nationwide. The New Jim Crow tells a truth our nation has been reluctant to face.

About the Author

Michelle…