Emily Gjertsson. American Literature And History. Duncan,

Emily Gjertsson American Literature and History Duncan, Fierce February 6, 2017 The School-to-Prison Pipeline Four kids, each under the age of 18 were sentenced as adults for 6-11 years in prison before DNA evidence proved them all innocent. You all probably remember Trayvon Martin, who was walking home, pursued by a neighborhood watch captain for having a â€Å"suspicious† appearance, and then fatally shot. You might know of Philando Castile, who was pulled over for a broken tail light, and was also shot by police while reaching for his ID, his death then broadcast live over facebook as he bled out. Now chances are that if you turn on your TV, you will see a black man being paraded across your screen accompanied by a police officer. This is†¦show more content†¦Minimum sentencing combined with the war on drugs brought a scythe through the black communities, literally cutting off men from their families, huge chunks just disappearing into the prison systems for really long times. We’re not only talking about fathers. We’re talking about fathers being put away wi th their sons with their brothers and with their cousins. So many broken families. 72% of African Americans have or are being raised by a single parent. So who is their positive role model? It’s not their mother, she’s away all day working double shifts. Its not their father, he’s in prison. It’s not their teachers, not only are they white but they are also teaching in impersonal over-crowded schools. Suddenly African American kids start looking up to gangbangers who have nice cars, and nice clothes. This is why one in three African Americans born in 2001 can expect to go to prison in their lifetime. The odds are overwhelmingly stacked against African Americans. And because of this they feel a sense of hopelessness for the future. As if there is nothing they could do to rise out of their realities. And to a certain extent, this is true. Think about redlining. Think about the inequality in the workplace. Think about unfair voting ratios between black and whites, diminishing the black voice. Now combine this and the fact that African American