You hear a lot about the school to
prison pipeline.
We're going to go from talking
about schools to
talking about prisons and
the criminal justice system.
Obviously one of the biggest topics
being discussed as we're filming
this interview nationally.
So who is making money off of
racial inequity in the criminal
justice and prison system?
>> Yeah, I mean,
that has received a fair amount
of attention over the years what we
call the prison industrial complex.
But that's really again,
just a small sliver of how folks
are making money off this.
I mean, there is this reality that,
we now have more people in prison
than there are residents in 15
US States.
So housing those people, feeding
those people, providing health care
to those people, transporting those
people, that is big business.
But outside from that, again
a significant part because of ALEC.
We also have a lot of large
corporations profiting
off of very cheap or
sometimes free prison labor.
And so we have incarcerated folks
in this country who are doing
campaign calls for Michael
Bloomberg's presidential campaign.
We have them making actually like
US flags.
There are incarcerated folks in
this country who are picking cotton
in the field.
So that's certainly a big part of
it, but also tough on crime.
These tough
on crime strategies have been a big
political winner for many years.
So it really has been used to
divide the electorate and
It allows the ultra wealthy to have
their preferred politicians win
more often.
So it's been very effective in that
way too.
But the other thing that I spent
a lot of time talking about in
the book.
That we have to account for
is that, what they found is that,
it is cheaper to dehumanize people
through things.
Like mass criminalization and
incarceration than it is to meet
people's basic human needs.
And so that's a wealth accumulation
strategy in a morally bankrupt way,
but it is.
And so,
those are things that if we're ever
going to create a truly just
society that we have to confront.
>> Yeah, well look, I know in your
book you also go into how we defeat
what you identify as Goliath.
I'm sure that we can't touch on
all of that.
But what's one thing that we could
do to fight back against admittedly
incredibly well funded, powerful,
politically connected opponents?
Who have a multi decade advantage
in multiple different industries.
It seems like a pretty
big challenge.
>> It is but
I do think it's doable.
And I'm frankly actually very
excited about what's been
happening over the last ten months.
I think, the movement being
built can do this.
But we all have to recognize that
there's really only one effective
counterweight to the power
of this kind of organized wealth.
And that's the power of organized
people, right?
So to resist this agenda and
advance one that's more favorable
to low income, working class,
middle class folks, we need to
build people powered organizations.
So, one thing I talked about in
the book is, maybe the best thing
that any one person can do is to
really invest their time,
their energy.
And any money that they have into
grassroots racial justice
based building organizations.
There are hundreds of these
organizations around the country.
Who are doing amazing work,
who are really leading this effort.
But they're often frequently
severely under resourced relative
to their opposition.
So they need help in lots of ways.
And so I would encourage all of
your viewers to help out with those
organizations any way they can.
And I include a list in the book
of some of the ones that I know and
I've worked with.
And also on the website
Rich Thanks To Racism dot com.
That's a place to start.
But there are many more that folks
should really get involved with.
>> Awesome, well,
if you're watching this interview
and you'd like to find out more,
the book we're discussing is
Rich Thanks to Racism.
How the ultra wealthy profit from
racial injustice.
And I want to thank Jim Freeman for
joining us and
talking about the book.
I really do appreciate your time.
>> Thank you, John.
I really appreciate you.