Author: Michelle T. Johnson
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
ISBN: 1569768366
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 289
Book Description
Provides a black employee's guide to success when working in a white workplace, and focuses on getting hired, pursuing legal support, and using one's own style, history, and goals.
Working While Black
Author: Michelle T. Johnson
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
ISBN: 1569768366
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 289
Book Description
Provides a black employee's guide to success when working in a white workplace, and focuses on getting hired, pursuing legal support, and using one's own style, history, and goals.
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
ISBN: 1569768366
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 289
Book Description
Provides a black employee's guide to success when working in a white workplace, and focuses on getting hired, pursuing legal support, and using one's own style, history, and goals.
Still Working While Black
Author: Antione D. Tomlin
Publisher: IAP
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 149
Book Description
Just as the first edited volume of this book, Working While Black: The Untold Stories of Student Affairs Practitioners, examined student affairs professionals' narratives and how they navigate their professional experiences, this one has a similar aim. This new volume birthed from the overwhelmingly positive feedback and massive interest from other Black professionals needing to share and tell their stories. So, with that in mind, a goal of this book is to share more of the “untold stories of Black student affairs practitioners by Black student affairs practitioners.” (Tomlin, 2022, p. X). This book, crafted from an asset-based approach, chapter authors share the challenges and opportunities they have experienced due to being a Black while working as a student affairs practitioner. Additionally, chapter authors provide poignant advice on how current and potential student affairs professionals can successfully navigate the field. Authors within the book are from various student affairs areas and have a wide range of knowledge, expertise, and lived experiences. Such areas include Greek Life, Residence Life, Athletics, International Student Support, Diversity, Access, Career Services, Financial aid, Enrollment and more. Given the depth and breadth of experiences and expertise, each chapter will provide poignant suggestions for student affairs practitioners across the nation and institutions looking to understand these experiences to support their employees better. College campuses and spaces operate as models of the greater society. Therefore, all of the challenges and issues of racism, discrimination, and anti-Blackness are present (Rankin et al. 2017). While students experience these challenges and issues first-hand, so do the folx hired to support students, the student affairs practitioners. Kanagala and Oliver (2019) claimed that “for institutions of higher education to be equitable and inclusive, college administrators, faculty, and staff, including student affairs professionals, must attend to the needs of students, especially students with multiple marginalized identities.” (p. 410). I argue the same is accurate in creating more equitable and inclusive spaces for student affairs employees. Student affairs practitioners Blackness must be accepted to move toward equity and inclusivity. So, this book roars, “student affairs and white colleagues, please respect our Blackness. Our Blackness is a part of our story, not yours!” (Tomlin, 2022, p. 176). Higher education institutions can learn much from the stories shared in this book that can inform the recruitment and retention of Black professionals. Thus, Still Working While Black: The Untold Stories of Student Affairs Practitioners is a must-read for all higher education professionals and institutions looking for strategies to support Black student affairs practitioners.
Publisher: IAP
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 149
Book Description
Just as the first edited volume of this book, Working While Black: The Untold Stories of Student Affairs Practitioners, examined student affairs professionals' narratives and how they navigate their professional experiences, this one has a similar aim. This new volume birthed from the overwhelmingly positive feedback and massive interest from other Black professionals needing to share and tell their stories. So, with that in mind, a goal of this book is to share more of the “untold stories of Black student affairs practitioners by Black student affairs practitioners.” (Tomlin, 2022, p. X). This book, crafted from an asset-based approach, chapter authors share the challenges and opportunities they have experienced due to being a Black while working as a student affairs practitioner. Additionally, chapter authors provide poignant advice on how current and potential student affairs professionals can successfully navigate the field. Authors within the book are from various student affairs areas and have a wide range of knowledge, expertise, and lived experiences. Such areas include Greek Life, Residence Life, Athletics, International Student Support, Diversity, Access, Career Services, Financial aid, Enrollment and more. Given the depth and breadth of experiences and expertise, each chapter will provide poignant suggestions for student affairs practitioners across the nation and institutions looking to understand these experiences to support their employees better. College campuses and spaces operate as models of the greater society. Therefore, all of the challenges and issues of racism, discrimination, and anti-Blackness are present (Rankin et al. 2017). While students experience these challenges and issues first-hand, so do the folx hired to support students, the student affairs practitioners. Kanagala and Oliver (2019) claimed that “for institutions of higher education to be equitable and inclusive, college administrators, faculty, and staff, including student affairs professionals, must attend to the needs of students, especially students with multiple marginalized identities.” (p. 410). I argue the same is accurate in creating more equitable and inclusive spaces for student affairs employees. Student affairs practitioners Blackness must be accepted to move toward equity and inclusivity. So, this book roars, “student affairs and white colleagues, please respect our Blackness. Our Blackness is a part of our story, not yours!” (Tomlin, 2022, p. 176). Higher education institutions can learn much from the stories shared in this book that can inform the recruitment and retention of Black professionals. Thus, Still Working While Black: The Untold Stories of Student Affairs Practitioners is a must-read for all higher education professionals and institutions looking for strategies to support Black student affairs practitioners.
Working While Black: A Woman's Guide to Stop Being the Best Kept Secret
Author: Tana Session
Publisher: Isabella Media Incorporated
ISBN: 9781735725642
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 246
Book Description
Black women are the highest educated group of employees in the workforce, but continue to earn $0.67 for every dollar a White man earns. And only two Black women hold the coveted position of CEO on the Fortune 500 list. If they are doing all of the right things based on what they are told is required to earn career success, why are they being left behind? In Working While Black: A Woman's Guide To Stop Being the Best Kept Secret, Dr. Tana M. Session explains that many of the unfortunate disadvantages faced by Black women are actually the reasons why Black women are also the largest and fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs. They are opting out of a system that was not built for them to succeed. Her candid stories of Black women in this book from multiple backgrounds and industries give a behind-the-curtain view of what typically happens to Black women along their corporate career track, But it doesn't end with this empowering stories of success against the backdrop of adversities. Dr. Session also provides strategies for what it takes to Stop Being the Best Kept Secret(R) under the prescriptive captions of: Own Your Power, Own Your Truth, Own Your Healing, Own Your Worth and Own Your Destiny. Readers will gain innovative tools to help avoid corporate landmines while gaining sponsors and allies along the way. Dr. Tana M. Session personally experienced these landmines. She felt like she was the only one and often felt very alone. Through sharing these experiences with close friends and family, and becoming a performance coach for Black women, she learned that their stories were also her story. Through her work, she has gained the advocacy of other influential and successful women who trusted her to tell their stories for others to learn from as they grow in their careers and businesses.
Publisher: Isabella Media Incorporated
ISBN: 9781735725642
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 246
Book Description
Black women are the highest educated group of employees in the workforce, but continue to earn $0.67 for every dollar a White man earns. And only two Black women hold the coveted position of CEO on the Fortune 500 list. If they are doing all of the right things based on what they are told is required to earn career success, why are they being left behind? In Working While Black: A Woman's Guide To Stop Being the Best Kept Secret, Dr. Tana M. Session explains that many of the unfortunate disadvantages faced by Black women are actually the reasons why Black women are also the largest and fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs. They are opting out of a system that was not built for them to succeed. Her candid stories of Black women in this book from multiple backgrounds and industries give a behind-the-curtain view of what typically happens to Black women along their corporate career track, But it doesn't end with this empowering stories of success against the backdrop of adversities. Dr. Session also provides strategies for what it takes to Stop Being the Best Kept Secret(R) under the prescriptive captions of: Own Your Power, Own Your Truth, Own Your Healing, Own Your Worth and Own Your Destiny. Readers will gain innovative tools to help avoid corporate landmines while gaining sponsors and allies along the way. Dr. Tana M. Session personally experienced these landmines. She felt like she was the only one and often felt very alone. Through sharing these experiences with close friends and family, and becoming a performance coach for Black women, she learned that their stories were also her story. Through her work, she has gained the advocacy of other influential and successful women who trusted her to tell their stories for others to learn from as they grow in their careers and businesses.
Working While Black
Author: LaToya T. Brackett
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 147667521X
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 231
Book Description
In recent years, there has been a rise in diverse racial representation on television. In particular, Black characters have become more actualized and have started extending beyond racial stereotypes. In this collection of essays, the representation of Black characters in professionally defined careers is examined. Commentary is also provided on the portrayal of Black people in relation to stereotypes alongside the importance of Black representation on screen. This work also introduces the idea of Black-collar, a category which highlights the Black experience in white-collar jobs. The essays are divided into six parts based on themes, including profession, and focuses on a select number of Black characters on TV since the 1990s.
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 147667521X
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 231
Book Description
In recent years, there has been a rise in diverse racial representation on television. In particular, Black characters have become more actualized and have started extending beyond racial stereotypes. In this collection of essays, the representation of Black characters in professionally defined careers is examined. Commentary is also provided on the portrayal of Black people in relation to stereotypes alongside the importance of Black representation on screen. This work also introduces the idea of Black-collar, a category which highlights the Black experience in white-collar jobs. The essays are divided into six parts based on themes, including profession, and focuses on a select number of Black characters on TV since the 1990s.
Living While Black
Author: Guilaine Kinouani
Publisher: Beacon Press
ISBN: 0807054607
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 258
Book Description
A Guardian “Best Book of 2021” Selection A powerful look at the impacts of anti-Black racism and a practical guide for overcoming racial trauma through radical self-care as a form of resistance Over the past 15 years, radical psychologist Guilaine Kinouani has focused her research, writing, and workshops on how racism affects both physical and mental health. Living While Black gives voice to the diverse, global experiences of Black people, using personal stories, powerful case studies, and eye-opening research to offer expert guidance on how to set boundaries and process micro-aggressions; protect children from racism; handle difficult race-based conversations; navigate the complexities of Black love; and identify and celebrate the wins. Based on her findings, Kinouani has devised tried-and-tested strategies to help protect Black people from the harmful effects of verbal, physical, and structural racism. She empowers Black readers to adopt self-care mechanisms to improve their day-to-day wellness to help them thrive, not just survive, and to find hope and beauty—or even joy—in the face of racial adversity. She also provides a vital resource for allies seeking to better understand the impacts of racism and how they can help. With the rise of far-right ideologies and the increase of racist hate crimes, Living While Black is both timely and instrumental in moving conversations from defining racism for non-Black majorities to focusing on healing and nurturing the mental health of those facing prejudice, discrimination, and the lasting effects of the violence of white supremacy.
Publisher: Beacon Press
ISBN: 0807054607
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 258
Book Description
A Guardian “Best Book of 2021” Selection A powerful look at the impacts of anti-Black racism and a practical guide for overcoming racial trauma through radical self-care as a form of resistance Over the past 15 years, radical psychologist Guilaine Kinouani has focused her research, writing, and workshops on how racism affects both physical and mental health. Living While Black gives voice to the diverse, global experiences of Black people, using personal stories, powerful case studies, and eye-opening research to offer expert guidance on how to set boundaries and process micro-aggressions; protect children from racism; handle difficult race-based conversations; navigate the complexities of Black love; and identify and celebrate the wins. Based on her findings, Kinouani has devised tried-and-tested strategies to help protect Black people from the harmful effects of verbal, physical, and structural racism. She empowers Black readers to adopt self-care mechanisms to improve their day-to-day wellness to help them thrive, not just survive, and to find hope and beauty—or even joy—in the face of racial adversity. She also provides a vital resource for allies seeking to better understand the impacts of racism and how they can help. With the rise of far-right ideologies and the increase of racist hate crimes, Living While Black is both timely and instrumental in moving conversations from defining racism for non-Black majorities to focusing on healing and nurturing the mental health of those facing prejudice, discrimination, and the lasting effects of the violence of white supremacy.
Black in White Space
Author: Elijah Anderson
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226826414
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 299
Book Description
From the vital voice of Elijah Anderson, Black in White Space sheds fresh light on the dire persistence of racial discrimination in our country. A birder strolling in Central Park. A college student lounging on a university quad. Two men sitting in a coffee shop. Perfectly ordinary actions in ordinary settings—and yet, they sparked jarring and inflammatory responses that involved the police and attracted national media coverage. Why? In essence, Elijah Anderson would argue, because these were Black people existing in white spaces. In Black in White Space, Anderson brings his immense knowledge and ethnography to bear in this timely study of the racial barriers that are still firmly entrenched in our society at every class level. He focuses in on symbolic racism, a new form of racism in America caused by the stubbornly powerful stereotype of the ghetto embedded in the white imagination, which subconsciously connects all Black people with crime and poverty regardless of their social or economic position. White people typically avoid Black space, but Black people are required to navigate the “white space” as a condition of their existence. From Philadelphia street-corner conversations to Anderson’s own morning jogs through a Cape Cod vacation town, he probes a wealth of experiences to shed new light on how symbolic racism makes all Black people uniquely vulnerable to implicit bias in police stops and racial discrimination in our country. An unwavering truthteller in our national conversation on race, Anderson has shared intimate and sharp insights into Black life for decades. Vital and eye-opening, Black in White Space will be a must-read for anyone hoping to understand the lived realities of Black people and the structural underpinnings of racism in America.
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226826414
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 299
Book Description
From the vital voice of Elijah Anderson, Black in White Space sheds fresh light on the dire persistence of racial discrimination in our country. A birder strolling in Central Park. A college student lounging on a university quad. Two men sitting in a coffee shop. Perfectly ordinary actions in ordinary settings—and yet, they sparked jarring and inflammatory responses that involved the police and attracted national media coverage. Why? In essence, Elijah Anderson would argue, because these were Black people existing in white spaces. In Black in White Space, Anderson brings his immense knowledge and ethnography to bear in this timely study of the racial barriers that are still firmly entrenched in our society at every class level. He focuses in on symbolic racism, a new form of racism in America caused by the stubbornly powerful stereotype of the ghetto embedded in the white imagination, which subconsciously connects all Black people with crime and poverty regardless of their social or economic position. White people typically avoid Black space, but Black people are required to navigate the “white space” as a condition of their existence. From Philadelphia street-corner conversations to Anderson’s own morning jogs through a Cape Cod vacation town, he probes a wealth of experiences to shed new light on how symbolic racism makes all Black people uniquely vulnerable to implicit bias in police stops and racial discrimination in our country. An unwavering truthteller in our national conversation on race, Anderson has shared intimate and sharp insights into Black life for decades. Vital and eye-opening, Black in White Space will be a must-read for anyone hoping to understand the lived realities of Black people and the structural underpinnings of racism in America.
Farming While Black
Author: Leah Penniman
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
ISBN: 1603587616
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 369
Book Description
Farming While Black is the first comprehensive "how to" guide for aspiring African-heritage growers to reclaim their dignity as agriculturists and for all farmers to understand the distinct, technical contributions of African-heritage people to sustainable agriculture. At Soul Fire Farm, author Leah Penniman co-created the Black and Latino Farmers Immersion (BLFI) program as a container for new farmers to share growing skills in a culturally relevant and supportive environment led by people of color. Farming While Black organizes and expands upon the curriculum of the BLFI to provide readers with a concise guide to all aspects of small-scale farming, from business planning to preserving the harvest. Throughout the chapters Penniman uplifts the wisdom of the African diasporic farmers and activists whose work informs the techniques described--from whole farm planning, soil fertility, seed selection, and agroecology, to using whole foods in culturally appropriate recipes, sharing stories of ancestors, and tools for healing from the trauma associated with slavery and economic exploitation on the land. Woven throughout the book is the story of Soul Fire Farm, a national leader in the food justice movement.--AMAZON.
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
ISBN: 1603587616
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 369
Book Description
Farming While Black is the first comprehensive "how to" guide for aspiring African-heritage growers to reclaim their dignity as agriculturists and for all farmers to understand the distinct, technical contributions of African-heritage people to sustainable agriculture. At Soul Fire Farm, author Leah Penniman co-created the Black and Latino Farmers Immersion (BLFI) program as a container for new farmers to share growing skills in a culturally relevant and supportive environment led by people of color. Farming While Black organizes and expands upon the curriculum of the BLFI to provide readers with a concise guide to all aspects of small-scale farming, from business planning to preserving the harvest. Throughout the chapters Penniman uplifts the wisdom of the African diasporic farmers and activists whose work informs the techniques described--from whole farm planning, soil fertility, seed selection, and agroecology, to using whole foods in culturally appropriate recipes, sharing stories of ancestors, and tools for healing from the trauma associated with slavery and economic exploitation on the land. Woven throughout the book is the story of Soul Fire Farm, a national leader in the food justice movement.--AMAZON.
White Space, Black Hood
Author: Sheryll Cashin
Publisher: Beacon Press
ISBN: 080700037X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 322
Book Description
A 2021 C. Wright Mills Award Finalist Shows how government created “ghettos” and affluent white space and entrenched a system of American residential caste that is the linchpin of US inequality—and issues a call for abolition. The iconic Black hood, like slavery and Jim Crow, is a peculiar American institution animated by the ideology of white supremacy. Politicians and people of all colors propagated “ghetto” myths to justify racist policies that concentrated poverty in the hood and created high-opportunity white spaces. In White Space, Black Hood, Sheryll Cashin traces the history of anti-Black residential caste—boundary maintenance, opportunity hoarding, and stereotype-driven surveillance—and unpacks its current legacy so we can begin the work to dismantle the structures and policies that undermine Black lives. Drawing on nearly 2 decades of research in cities including Baltimore, St. Louis, Chicago, New York, and Cleveland, Cashin traces the processes of residential caste as it relates to housing, policing, schools, and transportation. She contends that geography is now central to American caste. Poverty-free havens and poverty-dense hoods would not exist if the state had not designed, constructed, and maintained this physical racial order. Cashin calls for abolition of these state-sanctioned processes. The ultimate goal is to change the lens through which society sees residents of poor Black neighborhoods from presumed thug to presumed citizen, and to transform the relationship of the state with these neighborhoods from punitive to caring. She calls for investment in a new infrastructure of opportunity in poor Black neighborhoods, including richly resourced schools and neighborhood centers, public transit, Peacemaker Fellowships, universal basic incomes, housing choice vouchers for residents, and mandatory inclusive housing elsewhere. Deeply researched and sharply written, White Space, Black Hood is a call to action for repairing what white supremacy still breaks. Includes historical photos, maps, and charts that illuminate the history of residential segregation as an institution and a tactic of racial oppression.
Publisher: Beacon Press
ISBN: 080700037X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 322
Book Description
A 2021 C. Wright Mills Award Finalist Shows how government created “ghettos” and affluent white space and entrenched a system of American residential caste that is the linchpin of US inequality—and issues a call for abolition. The iconic Black hood, like slavery and Jim Crow, is a peculiar American institution animated by the ideology of white supremacy. Politicians and people of all colors propagated “ghetto” myths to justify racist policies that concentrated poverty in the hood and created high-opportunity white spaces. In White Space, Black Hood, Sheryll Cashin traces the history of anti-Black residential caste—boundary maintenance, opportunity hoarding, and stereotype-driven surveillance—and unpacks its current legacy so we can begin the work to dismantle the structures and policies that undermine Black lives. Drawing on nearly 2 decades of research in cities including Baltimore, St. Louis, Chicago, New York, and Cleveland, Cashin traces the processes of residential caste as it relates to housing, policing, schools, and transportation. She contends that geography is now central to American caste. Poverty-free havens and poverty-dense hoods would not exist if the state had not designed, constructed, and maintained this physical racial order. Cashin calls for abolition of these state-sanctioned processes. The ultimate goal is to change the lens through which society sees residents of poor Black neighborhoods from presumed thug to presumed citizen, and to transform the relationship of the state with these neighborhoods from punitive to caring. She calls for investment in a new infrastructure of opportunity in poor Black neighborhoods, including richly resourced schools and neighborhood centers, public transit, Peacemaker Fellowships, universal basic incomes, housing choice vouchers for residents, and mandatory inclusive housing elsewhere. Deeply researched and sharply written, White Space, Black Hood is a call to action for repairing what white supremacy still breaks. Includes historical photos, maps, and charts that illuminate the history of residential segregation as an institution and a tactic of racial oppression.
Work Won't Love You Back
Author: Sarah Jaffe
Publisher: Bold Type Books
ISBN: 1568589387
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 432
Book Description
A deeply-reported examination of why "doing what you love" is a recipe for exploitation, creating a new tyranny of work in which we cheerily acquiesce to doing jobs that take over our lives. You're told that if you "do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life." Whether it's working for "exposure" and "experience," or enduring poor treatment in the name of "being part of the family," all employees are pushed to make sacrifices for the privilege of being able to do what we love. In Work Won't Love You Back, Sarah Jaffe, a preeminent voice on labor, inequality, and social movements, examines this "labor of love" myth—the idea that certain work is not really work, and therefore should be done out of passion instead of pay. Told through the lives and experiences of workers in various industries—from the unpaid intern, to the overworked teacher, to the nonprofit worker and even the professional athlete—Jaffe reveals how all of us have been tricked into buying into a new tyranny of work. As Jaffe argues, understanding the trap of the labor of love will empower us to work less and demand what our work is worth. And once freed from those binds, we can finally figure out what actually gives us joy, pleasure, and satisfaction.
Publisher: Bold Type Books
ISBN: 1568589387
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 432
Book Description
A deeply-reported examination of why "doing what you love" is a recipe for exploitation, creating a new tyranny of work in which we cheerily acquiesce to doing jobs that take over our lives. You're told that if you "do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life." Whether it's working for "exposure" and "experience," or enduring poor treatment in the name of "being part of the family," all employees are pushed to make sacrifices for the privilege of being able to do what we love. In Work Won't Love You Back, Sarah Jaffe, a preeminent voice on labor, inequality, and social movements, examines this "labor of love" myth—the idea that certain work is not really work, and therefore should be done out of passion instead of pay. Told through the lives and experiences of workers in various industries—from the unpaid intern, to the overworked teacher, to the nonprofit worker and even the professional athlete—Jaffe reveals how all of us have been tricked into buying into a new tyranny of work. As Jaffe argues, understanding the trap of the labor of love will empower us to work less and demand what our work is worth. And once freed from those binds, we can finally figure out what actually gives us joy, pleasure, and satisfaction.
The Torture Letters
Author: Laurence Ralph
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022672980X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 267
Book Description
Torture is an open secret in Chicago. Nobody in power wants to acknowledge this grim reality, but everyone knows it happens—and that the torturers are the police. Three to five new claims are submitted to the Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission of Illinois each week. Four hundred cases are currently pending investigation. Between 1972 and 1991, at least 125 black suspects were tortured by Chicago police officers working under former Police Commander Jon Burge. As the more recent revelations from the Homan Square “black site” show, that brutal period is far from a historical anomaly. For more than fifty years, police officers who took an oath to protect and serve have instead beaten, electrocuted, suffocated, and raped hundreds—perhaps thousands—of Chicago residents. In The Torture Letters, Laurence Ralph chronicles the history of torture in Chicago, the burgeoning activist movement against police violence, and the American public’s complicity in perpetuating torture at home and abroad. Engaging with a long tradition of epistolary meditations on racism in the United States, from James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time to Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me, Ralph offers in this book a collection of open letters written to protesters, victims, students, and others. Through these moving, questing, enraged letters, Ralph bears witness to police violence that began in Burge’s Area Two and follows the city’s networks of torture to the global War on Terror. From Vietnam to Geneva to Guantanamo Bay—Ralph’s story extends as far as the legacy of American imperialism. Combining insights from fourteen years of research on torture with testimonies of victims of police violence, retired officers, lawyers, and protesters, this is a powerful indictment of police violence and a fierce challenge to all Americans to demand an end to the systems that support it. With compassion and careful skill, Ralph uncovers the tangled connections among law enforcement, the political machine, and the courts in Chicago, amplifying the voices of torture victims who are still with us—and lending a voice to those long deceased.
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022672980X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 267
Book Description
Torture is an open secret in Chicago. Nobody in power wants to acknowledge this grim reality, but everyone knows it happens—and that the torturers are the police. Three to five new claims are submitted to the Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission of Illinois each week. Four hundred cases are currently pending investigation. Between 1972 and 1991, at least 125 black suspects were tortured by Chicago police officers working under former Police Commander Jon Burge. As the more recent revelations from the Homan Square “black site” show, that brutal period is far from a historical anomaly. For more than fifty years, police officers who took an oath to protect and serve have instead beaten, electrocuted, suffocated, and raped hundreds—perhaps thousands—of Chicago residents. In The Torture Letters, Laurence Ralph chronicles the history of torture in Chicago, the burgeoning activist movement against police violence, and the American public’s complicity in perpetuating torture at home and abroad. Engaging with a long tradition of epistolary meditations on racism in the United States, from James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time to Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me, Ralph offers in this book a collection of open letters written to protesters, victims, students, and others. Through these moving, questing, enraged letters, Ralph bears witness to police violence that began in Burge’s Area Two and follows the city’s networks of torture to the global War on Terror. From Vietnam to Geneva to Guantanamo Bay—Ralph’s story extends as far as the legacy of American imperialism. Combining insights from fourteen years of research on torture with testimonies of victims of police violence, retired officers, lawyers, and protesters, this is a powerful indictment of police violence and a fierce challenge to all Americans to demand an end to the systems that support it. With compassion and careful skill, Ralph uncovers the tangled connections among law enforcement, the political machine, and the courts in Chicago, amplifying the voices of torture victims who are still with us—and lending a voice to those long deceased.