Prisons, and Schools, and Failure, Oh My! An Open Letter

• In Event: Assaults on Communities of Color: Transacademic Exploration of the Realities of Race-Based Violence

Abstract

As a final paper in this panel, the authors frame the many challenges in fighting against assaults on communities of color, focusing specifically on two challenges. One challenge is to maintain an interracial response to an issue that disproportionately impacts communities of color. Specifically, it is a challenge to keep the commitment of individuals with membership in the dominant group over the long haul. Parallel to this the second challenge is maintaining a response across interdisciplinary professional sectors, such as health care, law enforcement, manufacturing, education, and higher education. As activist scholars who study race, ethnicity, and social justice, and as folks who feel committed and called to action, the authors suggest how turning to the pen, or more aptly, keyboards, in responding and joining in solidarity with all of those who are fighting for equity and justice creates difference. The authors reflect upon the assaults of communities of color by challenge themselves and others to continue the conversation and join or extend the movement that is underway.

Authors

• Kenneth James Fasching-Varner, Louisiana State University

• Lori Latrice Martin, Louisiana State University

• Christine Clark, University of Nevada - Las Vegas

• Arash Daneshzadeh, University of California - Davis

• Nicholas Daniel Hartlep, Illinois State University