4.3: Black Lives Matter And The Family Pt. 2: Over-Policing & Mass Incarceration

Sep 7, 2021

Debunking the myth that Black Lives Matter is trying to destroy families is such an important topic, we’re spending our second week in a row talking about it.

If you haven’t had a chance to listen to last week’s episode — “Black Lives Matter And the Family Part 1: Enslavement” — I would encourage you to check out that one first. 

In Part 1, we talk about what Black Lives Matter has actually said about the family, how it's been misinterpreted and how enslavement has affected the history of Black families in our country. In essence, it’s an explanation of the historical context of what we’re seeing in the Black family, whereas Part 2 focuses on a system that is happening in the present day — a system that is negatively affecting the Black family as we speak.

That system is the over-policing of Black and brown communities and mass incarceration.

In this episode — “Black Lives Matter and the Family Part 2: Over-Policing and Mass Incarceration” — we look at:

• Why we see an overrepresentation of Black and brown people in jail and in prison.
• How sentencing disparities further harm Black families
• How the law has criminalized the actions of Black people in a way that it has not done for people who hold white privilege.
• How myths about Black fathers are just that — myths.

My hope is that by the end of these two episodes you can see what I see: that Black Lives Matter loves families so much, that they want lots of different people from lots of different types of families to have the same access to opportunity.

 

Race Talk Roadmap

Our Race Talk Roadmap is the tool you need to begin conversations about race and racism with your children! We have a list of three tips for parents of older children and a list of three tips for parents of younger children. Visit firstnamebasis.org/racetalk to get the Race Talk Roadmap sent straight to your inbox.

 

Articles, Studies & Podcasts Referenced In The Episode 

First Name Basis Podcast, Season 2, Episode 5: “A Conversation With My Dad About Black History Month"

First Name Basis Podcast, Season 3, Episode 29: “Critical Race Theory In Schools”

“Demilitarize Our Neighborhoods,” Black Lives Matter

“Federal Militarization of Law Enforcement Must End,” Charlotte Lawrence and Cyrus J. O’Brien, ACLU

“Maybe America Is Racist,” Michael Harriot, The Root

“Militarization and police violence: The case of the 1033 program,” Research & Politics

“The Black Family In The Age of Mass Incarceration” by Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic

“Debunking the most pervasive myth about black fatherhood” by German Lopez, Vox

“What Is the 'Success Sequence' and Why Do So Many Conservatives Like It?” by Brian Alexander, The Atlantic

“James Baldwin and Paul Weiss Debate Discrimination In America,” The Dick Cavett Show

“The Nuclear Family Was A Mistake” by David Brooks, The Atlantic 

“Ask Politifact: Does Black Lives Matter Aim To Destroy The Nuclear Family?” by Tom Kertscher and Amy Sherman

 

Song Credit: “Sleeper” by Steve Adams” and “Dive Down” by VYEN