California’s decision this month to reform the use of solitary confinement of prisoners brought further attention to the wide-spread use of this medieval method of incarceration. The use of medieval dungeons in U.S. prisons consistently violates the 8th Amendment’s prohibition against “cruel and unusual punishment.” Solitary confinement in 21st century prison-dungeons…
Commentaries
“Europe,” the Migration Crisis, and Multiculturalism
As some migrants are hailing their arrival to Germany, I’m reminded of the statement by Germany’s popular conservative chancellor Angela Merkel and de facto leader of the European Union. In 2013 when faced with an increase in immigrants, especially Muslims, Merkel reacted by declaring that “the multicultural concept…has failed, and failed…
A Texas Educational Approach to Racial Truth & Reconciliation
A recent Gary Trudeau “Doonesbury” cartoon shows a befuddled social studies teacher claiming – in accordance with Texas social studies standards – that secession from the United States by the Confederate States of America was primarily about so-called “states’ rights” while slavery was down the list of reasons. The clueless teacher then is confronted with a…
Time for a U.S. Truth and Reconciliation Commission
A fitting recognition for the first anniversary of the killing of an unarmed African American adolescent by a white Ferguson police officer would be the convening of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It may be the time that we – the people and our public officials – face the sordid history of the nation that has allowed the continuation of racial oppression in support of various forms of White nationalism. The first step to radically change continuing forms of…
Note to Cincinnati Prosecutor: Murders by Police Do Happen in the U.S.
As we approach the one-year anniversary of the death of unarmed Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer, a slow but discernable shift is occurring among some public officials in response to the heightened public awareness brought on by the Black Lives Matter social justice movement. This shift is seen in the legal response of…
Sandra Bland and Smoking While Black
Reflecting on Sandra Bland’s arrest and eventual death while incarcerated in a Texas county jail with its own legacy of White supremacy is an important reminder that historical patterns continue to inform 21st century racial disparities. What was her “crime”? Apparently not giving a White police officer the deference required by White custom for Black people since…