Congressional Black Caucus Silent on the Georgia Prison Strike

Filed under: News, Politics, President Obama, Race and Civil Rights

In case you haven't seen it much in the media, history is being made in Georgia. Prison inmates in the state have come together for the largest prison strike in United States history. The event is significant, since the prison system is one of the last remnants of slavery in our nation. Among other things, the inmates are demanding access to education, decent heathcare, the ability to see their families, just parole decisions and an escape from cruel and unusual punishment. In other words, they are asking to be treated as human beings.

I've spoken to as many people as I could about what the inmates in Georgia are doing and I've also reported on the activities that I've begun in conjunction with the Your Black World Coalition. But as I was working with my team to figure out how we could help the inmates, one question came to mind: Where are the black folks in Washington?

Other than Gary Flowers of the Black Leadership Forum, nearly every political figure who proclaims to have the interests of the black community at heart has remained silent about the strike. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have both been supportive of our efforts, and are in alignment with the interests of the inmates. But when it comes to members of the Congressional Black Caucus and other Washington bureaucrats with the power to make a difference, none of them have stepped to the forefront and issued a statement or offered anything to support the courageous efforts of the inmates in Georgia. The black bureaucratic silence in Washington is in strong contrast to the jack-in-the-box reaction to the immigration laws in Arizona just a few months ago. I find that to be interesting.

Every other day, I get a statement from Barbara Lee, the head of the Congressional Black Caucus. The statements are promising and powerful comments about the war in Afghanistan, gay rights, immigration, the Bush tax cuts and other issues that fit snug within the Democratic agenda. But not once have I seen any statements relating to the plight of prison inmates and their families, many of whom serve to define the bulk of the black experience in America. If you haven't been incarcerated yourself, you probably have a loved one, friend or parent who has gone through this system of modern day slavery. My own family was harmed by the prison industrial complex, and many other families have been victimized as well.

If the liberals are looking for an issue to embrace, the plight of prison inmates should be near the top of their list. The 13th Amendment of the United States constitution actually states that slavery is not abolished for those who've been convicted of a crime. Corporations earn billions off the backs of inmate families by charging them excessive amounts of money to speak to one another on the phone and also by forcing inmates into involuntary servitude. All the while, we sit with a black president, a black attorney general and a set of black political leaders who will speak on the issue behind closed doors, but are fearful of addressing the matter in public. What are black politicians good for again? I can't seem to remember - given that the US prison system rivals Nazi Germany in its scope, devastation and impact (the US incarcerates more of its citizens than any country in the world), you would think that African American political leaders would be the first in line to fight the construct that has destroyed so many lives.

Some laugh when prison inmates are described as political prisoners. I personally believe in the importance of a strong and fair criminal justice system, because I want my family to be safe. But when you consider the fact that those with less money are more likely to be incarcerated, and that African Americans are the ones most likely to be searched, arrested and sent away, you then realize that the shackles of American political oppression are what keep this system intact. Black political leaders must show that they have the discipline to do what is right and not simply focus on what will get them reelected. Moral courage is a necessary condition to engage in effective black leadership; there must come a point when the leader is willing to cash in his/her chips and accept the fact that representing the disenfranchised comes with a significant personal sacrifice. In other words, truly loving black people will make you neither rich nor powerful in a system that is designed to destroy us.

As the prison guards in Georgia beat the inmates, cut off their hot water, put them in the hole, and turn off their heat in the middle of winter to kill the spirit of their protest, I pray that our black political leaders in both Washington and the state of Georgia will stand up and realize the urgency of this situation. Lives are at stake and if we do not support these inmates as much as we possibly can, we will miss an opportunity to make America into a better country. This is a fight for human rights.




Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

 

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