Hard truths about
America's justice system
What’s your identity? How do you identify? Bryan
Stevenson shares hard truths about the American justice system starting with
massive imbalances along racial lines during a TED Talks , We Need To Talk
About Injustice,
In the US
one third of the black population has been incarcerated at some point in their
lives.
Bryan Stevenson has made a point on TED Talks
to bring attention to the legal system and some solutions of what we can try do
to fix it. Why TED Talks? Because TED Talks has identity and there is power in
identity. The correct ethical and moral identity is needed to for a strong
community in which we are to live. We need a community of compassion and equal
justice to make lives have value. As a compassionate society we need to pay
attention to suffering, poverty and injustice. Ultimately a society will be judged
not by technological progress or wealth but judged on how the poor, less
fortunate disadvantaged are treated. We can’t be a humane people in society
without paying attention to and committing to being just and treating people
fairly.
What good is a society or community that is wealthy
beyond belief, able to cure most diseases, capable of feeding millions but also
has a terrifying human rights record, known for injustice and unethical behavior?
What end is to be of a community where the rich benefit from inequity and take
advantage of the poor for mere profit? Where barriers are set deliberately and consciously,
put into place to hold down the less fortunate or keep them in their place to
protect the class status quo. Do we need community where more money is invested
in jails than in schools? Where
education is so expensive and out of the reach of groups without acquiring excessive
debt but then made easy and accessible to other groups? Does wealth shape and
change outcomes? Does the poor innocent pale in contrast during trial compared
to the guilty wealthy? The opposite of poverty is not wealth, it is justice! We
need a heart-mind connection, connecting truth and justice with clear
transparency.
It seems like we don’t like to talk about inequity and
race. People are deeply divided on the issue and for one reason or another get
angry and agitated when talking about race inequality and injustice. Why is
this? Is it because the truth is hard to reveal, understand and reconcile? The
truth does hurt; no one knows or can agreee how to fix the inequities and most just
don’t want change. There are people who benefit and profit from the demise of
others.
True identity is at risk when we don’t care about
fairness and justice. What kind of community thrives on inequality, injustice
and imbalances?
Since 2202, America has incarcerated more people than any
other country in the world, about 100 per 100,000 population. In 2010, the rate
is 500 per 100,000 population. Men make up 90% of prison population 14 times
more than woman. Prisoners tend to be less educated and 70% has not completed high
school. Incarceration rates are significantly higher for blacks and Latinos
than that for whites. In 2010, black men were incarcerated at the rate of 3,074
per 100,000 residents, Latinos 1258 per 100,000 and white men at 459 per
100,000. Louisiana has the highest rate in the nation 867/100,000 with Texas ranking
second, 648/100,000. Blacks particularly young black males make up a disproportionate
share of the US jail population. In 2008, young black men between the ages of
18 to 34 were at least six times more likely to be incarcerated than young
white men. This has much to do with the declaration on the war on drugs.
“For these men born since the mid 70’s serving time in
prison has become a normal life event,” noted Pettit and Bruce Western , a
Harvard sociologist.
The Ted community needs more courageous people. People
that are concerned more about justice and truth than wealth and profit. We need
people that will provide encouragement and hope not discouragement and death
penalties. We need to bring back a sense of community where we all are family,
the same family. If we pay more attention to suffering, poverty and injustice,
we will challenge our identity making the world a better place instead of settling
for the status quo, being leaders and
pioneers of righteousness. At the end of the day wouldn’t we all like to live
in a world that is fair, just and moral committed to truth and reconciliation?
