Status Updates From The New Jim Crow: Mass Inca...

This book is infuriating. Not because of the book itself, but because of what I’m learning about how utterly deplorable people and systems are.

“One vagrancy act specifically provided that “all free negroes and mulattoes” over the age of eighteen” must have written proof of a job at the beginning of every year. Those found with no lawful employment were deemed vagrants and convicted. Clearly, the purpose of the black codes in general and the vagrancy laws in particular was to establish another system of forced labor.”

As if I needed any more reason to dislike Reagan. He ran his campaign on appealing to white voters’ discomfort with Black economic and social progress.