MY BROTHER’S KEEPER
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by Willie Christopher Tucker Bio/Address
In the June 2001
issue of the Hospitality Newsletter there is a recent article by Dr. Joseph Lowery called, The Spiritual Legacy
of Martin Luther King, Jr. In the article, Dr. Lowery gives a
tantalizingly vivid picture of several social ills that plague our society today. Specifically, the escalating incarceration rate of African Americans in
Georgia. I thought he did a wonderful job of combining the 25th chapter of the
book of Matthew, and the doctrine of Dr. King, to explain what Jesus meant by,
I
was hungry and you fed me.
I
was thirsty and you gave me water.
I
was a stranger and you were hospitable.
I
was outdoors and you took me in.
I
was naked and you clothe me.
I was sick and in prison and you looked after me...
Much of
yesterdays thoughts on theology, philosophy, and politics still play a major
role in our social and moral development today. These areas of human interaction
are as divisive now, as they were ages ago. Dr. Lowery in his article speaks
eloquently of Dr. King. He praised Dr. King for his vigilance, courage, and his
unwavering stance in the pursuit of freedom and equality for all human beings.
He also gave a clear and concise explanation of his proposed solutions. The most
important of which is that the public must awaken from their drunken slumber and
come together to fight injustice wherever it shows it's ugly head.
In most cases,
writing on prison reform entails depictions of the grim side of incarceration.
It is necessary to inform the general public
of the actual atrocities that exist in prisons. Often, the information is quite
pessimistic. Occasionally, the focus should be expanded to include a more
optimistic view of the ability of the human spirit to change and grow. In
my essay, The Metamorphosis: Hoodlum to Butterfly, this is
exactly what I am attempting to accomplish. I want to eventually put a face on
the otherwise faceless statistics. What better way to accomplish this feat than
to personalize them?
Since the
completion of Frontiers of Justice Vol.3, (the book in which the Metamorphosis appears), the state of Georgia has become the seventh
leading incarcerator of her citizens. Blacks only represent 30% of the overall
population, yet, they are disproportionately represented in the Department of
Corrections by a margin of 70%. Additionally, the incarceration rate for blacks
has risen 83% since 1990, and Black males in Georgia are four times more likely
to end up in prison than White males. If having the father of the black
household in prison wasn't enough, now black women are being put into prison
at a rate three times that of their white counterparts. Who will take care of
the black children? Certainly not the same agencies that rounded up their
parents? What would Jesus or Martin say or do concerning this disheartening
situation, if they were physically alive today?
Am I my
brother’s keeper?
Recent studies
suggest that the crime rate has decreased. Yet, more public and private funds
are being allocated to build bigger and more sophisticated prisons.
Incarceration has become extremely profitable. In any business there must be customers. In this particular instance, the
Black citizens of Georgia are both the Prison Industry's biggest consumers and
its favorite stock.
More so now,
than in proceeding years, we concerned citizens must ban together in a concerted
effort to eliminate the abomination of prisons. It is no longer enough for
advocates of prisoners to speak out for prison reform. We are
living in dire times, and oppression has again emerged from its darkest,
deepest, repugnant hole. It is no longer an option to just sit by idly while
millions of human beings are propelled into The
New Injustice System of slavery. Not enough of us are angry about how people
are being treated in the present criminal justice system. This fact, in itself,
should indicate to us that we have become too complacent and desensitized to the
suffering of others.
Dr. Lowery
asked a very difficult, yet relevant question, which I believe has a direct
impact on the incarceration rates of African Americans in Georgia. He asked,"...how can we celebrate Martin...
and
then sit silently by and ignore a criminal justice system that is the system in
our nation that has been the least
impacted
by the civil rights movement and social change?"
In Georgia, our
future looks discouraging. We are nearly the nations top incarcerator, yet when
it comes to education, we are at the bottom. What does this say about our public
policies? How does this ultimately affect our children? Instead of shaping
our young people for professional careers, current public policies and
legislative agendas are being designed to prepare our children for their
eventual imprisonment. It has been well established that education is essential
for full cognitive and moral development. Without proper schooling,
children are at a greater risk of being lured into activities that could land
them in the juvenile justice system - well before their teen years.
Once an individual has been put into jail, they find themselves caught in an archaic system that discourages freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and the elimination of just about any other freedom you can think of. The authorities, in one of today's more controversial forms of imprisonment, have even begun to expand their range of control by experimenting with regulating the involuntary waste systems of the prisoners. Prisoners are being reprimanded for using the rest room during unauthorized, unscheduled times. Which means that a trip to the lavatory could result in a disciplinary report and a four dollar deduction from the prisoners account. Keep in mind, prisoners in Georgia receive absolutely nothing for their labor. Consequently, this fee and any other payment levied is deducted from money sent to the prisoners by friends or family members.
I was hungry and you fed me.
I was thirsty and you gave me water.
I was a stranger and you were hospitable.
I was outdoors and you took me in.
I was naked and you clothe me.
I was sick and in prison and you looked after me...
Perhaps, Jesus, the son of a carpenter from Nazareth, who lived over 2,000 years ago, had the prescription to cure the social ills that confront us now. Jesus asked us to care for each other and to love one another. He asked us to show this love with action and compassion for our fellow human being. This is exactly what Dr. King gave us during the civil rights movement. Dr. King taught a whole nation that love and faith could overcome any form of oppression. Even the great evil of incarcerating our brothers and sisters as an act of hatred and intolerance. Both Jesus and Martin gave us what they could. It is now our turn to do what we are called upon to do: Live a life of service and become your brother’s keeper.
Poems
EVOLUTION by Willie Tucker Bio/Address
NEW POETS
The Night Jodi Came to Visit ME By
K. Mudica
Three Poems by Merchant-Moody
My Top Dog For Life! by Soraya Deborggraeve
Man's Humanity by Richard Rossi
Essays by Willie Christopher Tucker Bio/Address
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