African American communities continues to suffer the consequences of a biased criminal justice system. How does the author describe the theme of racism in the book?

The theme of race plays a central role in the development of "The New Jim Crow". Even the book title evokes the racial segregationist system that notoriously characterized southern American states in the decades following the Civil War. A major difference, however, between the old Jim Crow system and mass incarceration today is where the racist intention lies. Previous systems of racialized social control in American history were explicitly racist. 'Whites only' signs, segregated lunch counters, and brutal lynchings characterize racism in the past. Today, the War on Drugs is concealed racism. It does not contain a single mandate that explicitly targets any racial group, and the Supreme Court outwardly condemns laws that discriminate based on race or ethnicity. Yet Alexander challenges readers to look beyond the rhetoric of colorblindness and see how racism is perpetuated by federal drug policy and how it is experienced on the ground. As a result of the War on Drugs, African Americans are disproportionately criminalized, even though whites use and deal drugs more than blacks. Colorblind ideology has also directed the Supreme Court to reject accusations that police departments or drug convictions are racially biased. Defendants must prove that race was the only motivation for their arrest and treatment, something that is impossible to do.

Colorblindness has turned problems faced by racial groups into gross exaggerations. Proponents of colorblindness view it as the exact opposite of racism. However, rather than healing racial problems, colorblindness shuts down discussion. Colorblindness allows for police to crack down on black communities with impunity; it grants prosecutors the ability to remove black jurors from juries, and it gives politicians legal protection when they create racist policies. Racism is built on the vulnerabilities and insecurities of people. Therefore, advocates for racial justice from all racial groups and backgrounds should encourage policies of transparency, honesty, and compassion for others.