There are staggering disparities among Black and Latinx people imprisoned in the United States given their overall representation in the general population. The latest available data regarding people sentenced to state prison reveal that Black Americans are imprisoned at a rate that is roughly five times the rate of white Americans. During the present era of criminal justice reform, not enough emphasis has been focused on ending racial and ethnic disparities systemwide.

Going to prison is a major life-altering (traumatic) event that creates obstacles to building stable lives in the community, such as gaining employment and finding stable and safe housing after release. Imprisonment also reduces lifetime earnings and negatively affects life outcomes among children of incarcerated parents. These are individual-level consequences of imprisonment but there are societal level consequences as well: high levels of imprisonment in communities cause high crime rates and neighborhood deterioration, thus fueling greater disparities. This cycle both individually and societally is felt disproportionately by people who are Black. It is clear that the outcome of mass incarceration today has not occurred by happenstance but has been designed through policies created by a dominant white culture that insists on suppression of others.

The Sentencing Project: The Color of Justice: Racial and Ethnic Disparity in State Prisons This is the story of one such man who experienced years of incarceration. We encountered him during the last few years of his life but the impact of being a Black man who experienced incarceration for much of his life was obvious. Slim, whether because of internalized stigma or stigma and racism from our culture, was never able to get his footing. Instead, he made the best of a horrible situation and welcomed people into his life with a generous spirit.

This is just a small part of his story.

Maya Angelou once said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” We must do better. We must do better for those that have been relegated to the fringes of society.

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