It became clear that many of the students only took the race class because it was an elective and not because of a burning desire to address the issues surrounding race. As the lectures unfolded, and the students freely spoke about the hopelessness they were experiencing as a result of the systematic racism in the criminal justice system and in life, something changed in me. I started to listen. I mean, I really listened and what I heard was a great deal of pain they felt due to the unfairness of being a minority in America. It broke my heart.
What was previously interpreted as indifference was quite the opposite. Instead, I heard thoughtful and reflective commentary. I heard stories of the racism in their own families and how they were fighting against it.
Be clear on this; young people care about the future and the injustices and inequities in America. They deserve to be heard. After we listen, we must begin the process of real change, not just in law enforcement, but also by dismantling institutions that have supported racism. Can’t you hear them: “Not this time!” “We are not having it anymore!” “You will listen or else!”
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Judge Penny Brown Reynolds is an author and social justice advocate and served as the first African American lawyer for a governor, a former trial court judge, assistant attorney general, and is currently Scholar-in-Residence for the APEX Museum in Atlanta and is pursuing a Ph.D. in criminal justice and criminology. She teaches criminal law, criminal procedure as well as race and the criminal justice system at Georgia State University.
