Actor Raymond Spencer, at Ford's Theater (Wash., D.C.) premiere of "Slavery by Another Name." Listening attentively to Raymond as he speaks about the film is Attorney General Eric Holder, at right in bottom photo.
In thinking about the
Tuesday, February 24 event, Decarcerating Plainfield and NJ Youth, which is
scheduled to take place at 6:00 pm at the Plainfield Public Library (click here), I thought would be
helpful to provide another important link which provides crucial background
information. Below is the documentary film, Slavery By
Another Name, directed by Sam Pollard. By a strange quirk of
fate, one of my former students, actor Raymond Spencer (pictured)
is one of the actors in the film.
As one with a deep interest in history, I would be remiss if I did
not also include this broader perspective on penal institutions in America, with
a focus on how the old plantation system was reconfigured after the end of the
Civil War into the modern penal system. In effect, laws were passed to create
an unstoppable supply of bodies to continue forced labor--basically,
slavery--by another name. This is connected to the modern-day mass
incarceration movement and should be required watching by all.
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