Michelle Alexander
The American criminal justice system functions as a modern racial caste system, using the War on Drugs to disproportionately target minorities and legally strip them of basic civil rights.
The War on Drugs heavily targets minority communities despite similar rates of illegal drug use across different racial groups.
A felony conviction creates a permanent secondary status that legalizes discrimination in employment, public housing, and voting rights.
The judicial system has made it incredibly difficult to challenge systemic racism by requiring defendants to prove conscious and intentional racial bias.