“Today mass incarceration defines the meaning of blackness in America: black people, especially black men, are criminals. That is what it means to be black.”
“Challenging these forms of racism is certainly necessary, as we must always remain vigilant, but it will do little to shake the foundations of the current system of control. The new caste system, unlike its predecessors, is officially colorblind. We must deal with it on its own terms.”
“The blackness grew grey and paler grey, and miles and miles of monotonous gum samplings lay between the train and the sky. Up burst the sun, and the world grew soft and rosy like a baby waked from sleep. Then the grey gathered again, the pink, quivering lights faded out, and the rain came down - torrents of it, beating against the shaking window-glass, whirled wildly ahead by a rough morning wind, flying down from the mountains.”