The Introduction begins with Alexander’s comparison between an incarcerated African-American man today and the man’s ancestors who, like him, were denied basic rights as a result of slavery and Jim Crow, respectively. In the Preface, Michelle Alexander notes that the book was not “written for everyone,” but hopes that it will inform and inspire those who are not yet fully aware of the problem of mass incarceration, as well as provide solace to those who are currently incarcerated. He urges the reader to reject the language of “colorblindness” and instead embrace the fight for justice. The book begins with a Foreword by Cornel West, who argues that it will prove indispensable to the fight against racial justice in the contemporary moment and that it embodies “the spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr.” West critiques the political climate that has flourished under President Barack Obama, arguing that despite the apparent signs of racial progress, the United States is still a deeply divided, unequal, and unjust society.
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