The New Jim Crow: Michelle Alexander

This week we take the full hour for David Dault's in-depth interview with Michelle Alexander, author of the groundbreaking 2010 book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.

Alexander will be a keynote speaker at the Chicago Theological Seminary conference, Selma at 50: Still Marching, April 24 and 25, 2015.

"Our system of mass incarceration has had the effect of creating a permanent undercaste in America," says Michelle Alexander, noting that - particularly in the wake of the "war on drugs" of the past thirty years, persons of color across the United States have lost their rights as citizens to vote, hold jobs, and participate in productive society.

Alexander's criticism of these criminal justice policies became the heart of her 2010 book, The New Jim Crow, which sparked a firestorm of debate about national policies and priorities. As we look to the book half a decade later, we see it still speaks to the realities of race relations in America. From Ferguson, Missouri to our own back yards, The New Jim Crow describes a state of affairs for which we are all must make account.

In this conversation with host David Dault, Alexander explores both the political and some of the religious implications of American race and justice policies.

Michelle Alexander will deliver a keynote address as part of Chicago Theological Seminary's two-day conference, Selma at 50: Still Marching, April 24 and 25. Find out more about the conference here.