Race Crime & Justice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRwBW3Lckxs

Podcast
https://www.npr.org/2020/07/10/889406805/brent-leggs-how-can-seeing-black-history-as-american-history-begin-to-make-amend

STEP 2. Consider this: There has been much attention lately to incidents of racial injustice by the police; including, but not limited to, the cases of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Daniel Prude, to name a few. You may also have personal experiences or other impressions concerning the courts and corrections.

Listen to the podcast feature below – “Brent Leggs: How can seeing Black History as American History begin to make amends?” – and use the questions that follow to discuss your impressions of how race affects crime and the criminal justice system in the U.S. (A transcript of the podcast is available.)

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Questions to guide reflections and thoughts:

Did you learn anything new from the podcast? If yes, what?
Is the information in the podcast useful to setting a foundation in learning about race, crime, and justice in the U.S.? Explain your answer.
Do you agree with the assertion that seeing Black History as American History is constructive for your learning in a course like this one?
Discussion Expectations
These are controversial topics, and we may have a wide variety of opinions concerning the players. Please remember to respect the right of others to have divergent opinions, and please keep it civil.

Your initial post should be at least 250 words and must respond to my questions or the posts of other students at least twice. Excellent posts will be supported by evidence from the course materials, offer new substantiated ideas, and encourage discussion. The forum will stay open for the duration of the module (3 weeks). Please begin posting early in the module so that others have an opportunity to meaningfully engage with you and respond to your posts. You will not receive credit if you post only in the last few days of the discussion period. It is advisable to check in regularly throughout the module to stay active in the discussions.

ANSWER

Race Crime and Justice

The podcast focuses on the injustices faced by the Black people in America and the reasons for reconciling the history of racism to empower communities (Ted Radio Hour, 2016). The podcast demonstrates how making amends leads to Black Americans being acknowledged as a people who have been actively and systemically oppressed since the beginning of this country, and that white America must take responsibility for its role in that oppression.

The podcast is useful for setting the foundation of learning about race, crime and justice in the United States since it shows how these have manifested in the United States. The issue of race and crime in the United States is one that is fraught with emotion and controversy. On one hand, there are those who believe that race does play a factor in crime and the criminal justice system, pointing to statistics that show higher rates of arrest and incarceration for minority groups. On the other hand, there are those who believe that race is not a factor, arguing that socioeconomic factors are a better predictor of crime.

Seeing Back History as American History is constructive for learning this course since it offers context and deep understanding the issues in the American History. For instance, the Black History helps understand the context of racing and crime in the United States. In the history of United States, race matters in the criminal justice system since it’s likely to affect how likely one is detained pretrial, pulled over by police, released and severely sentenced upon conviction. This can well be understood by looking at how African Americans face racism in criminal justice system. For instance, black defendants are likely to be convicted than white defendants, for a similar crime. The Latinos and Blacks are likely to be sentenced more severely than the whites for low level crimes. All these moments faced by the Black Americans due to racial biasness in the American history help in amending and healing, respecting, acknowledging changes which confronts the history of American.

References

Ted Radio Hour. (2016). Brent Leggs: How Can Seeing Black History As American History Begin To Make Amends? Available at> https://www.npr.org/2020/07/10/889406805/brent-leggs-how-can-seeing-black-history-as-american-history-begin-to-make-amend