The general purpose of the judicial system is to serve
justice to citizens in favor of the law. Serving justice to all should also
include minorities, but in most cases in history and today has not included
justice or equality. To me, this is an important topic because this is
something that has been a problem for years, and people need to continue to be
aware of this reoccurring matter. Most minorities are wrongfully convicted of
crimes or killed and the people responsible are not prosecuted. This is a point
of frustration for most, but we must use that frustration and anger towards
actions that could help changes transpire. Change is good in most
circumstances, but it can also be good or bad in different situations.
Therefore, my question is, if we helped to create a diverse system then would
there be a greater possibility of justice being served to minorities?
Photo By: Jayati Ghosh
In the article “The criminal justice system still treats
black lives as if they don’t matter, Benjamin Crump argues in a new book”,
black people are still being treated unfairly in the courtroom. Innocent lives
are still being taken, and not just by killings and multiple brutalities by the
law. Throughout this article, points are made about wrongfully convicted
African Americans within the system. Benjamin Crump believes that the criminal
justice system of the U.S. “disappropiately kills black people – physically,
legally, and socially. Bringing forth awareness about these issues can help
others understand how important it is for solutions to be created now rather
than later because it’s not getting better. Are black lives only being taken by
every killing and gun violence? Gun violence is a major issue in the world, but
“black lives are being taken not just by bullets, but every day in every city
and every courtroom with trumped-up felony convictions” (Petrella). With a
courtroom being a place where justice is supposed to be served in the eye of
the law; prosecuting others with inadequate charges or reasons is very
unlawful. I feel as though this is unfair and something should be done to
correct these actions so that more people don’t continue to suffer.
Photo By: Office of Sheriff Michael Hennessey
According to the article “Sunday Reading: Commemorating
Juneteenth”, there have been many lives taken due to tragic incidents including
racism. Actions like this used to be referred to as a “hate crime”. The New
Yorker provides detailed reasoning for why June 19th also known as Juneteenth
should be celebrated as a holiday again. Juneteenth is a holiday celebrated
because June 19th is the day that slaves were declared free in the year 1862.
This article explains the tragic losses of black lives recently throughout the
years. Therefore, many families still grieve over these innocent lives taken.
“Black bodies are increasingly becoming battlefields upon which horrors are
routinely executed, each one so close to the last that there is barely enough
time to fully grieve and mourn – David Remnick.”. This article is indicating
that many black lives have suffered, and the suffering is still happening today
because the fight for justice is still a work in progress. Nevertheless, I
question why is this still a reoccurring with no solution? Since these issues
occur with a pattern, hopefully, a solution can be created soon, yet already
being developed. I believe that a solution will soon be developed because all
of the names on the long list of wrongfully convicted and innocent killings
will not sit in vain. Every aspect of pain that is being felt with more names
being added to the list every day can be accounted for with the right actions.
In the text “A Philosopher’s Defense of Anger”, all of the
anger and rage that is being held within because of the unlawfulness and racism
in the world can be understood but using those emotions for better is what we
need to try and understand. In the article explanations of anger being used for
better actions are explained. This could help expand the way we think or react
to something that makes us feel upset. However, when a loved ones’ life or
freedom has been taken without a clear reason or for no reason at all, then
another level of rage may be felt because you may not understand why something
like this could’ve happened to your family. This may be something that takes a
part of you, but when this happens try holding onto that anger you feel and
your dignity and pride because gaining justice for that loved one could be your
fight for them. “A black poet by the name of Audre Lorde once explained how we
must first acknowledge the anger that racism gives and transform that anger
into action.” (Anger; Helen Rosner). I agree with this article because if you
put on a fight using anger for a positive outcome rather than adding more
negative energy to the situation resulting in a negative outcome will not help
anything improve, yet, justice to be served. Your voice can always be used as a
power source if you choose to use it. Anytime you hold resentment towards something
and want to take action, then try using the rage for good.
Nevertheless, creating a diverse court system would help to
increase the possibility of justice being served to minorities. I feel as
though these 3 articles share similar standpoints about racism which I agree
on. For the most part, I see the overall strengths and weaknesses of this
literature being it helps to break down important information, details, and
quotes for writers and for the audience to understand when reading. Although I
can think of multiple strengths, I cannot determine any weaknesses. The steps I
hope to take next for research is to find more amusing articles, but articles
that differentiate a bit more.
Works Cited
Petrella,
Christopher. "The criminal justice system still treats black lives as
though they don’t matter, Benjamin Crump argues in a new book." 19 Dec. 2019,
www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/12/19/his-new-book-attorney-benjamin-crump-argues-that-criminal-justice-system-still-treats-black-lives-like-they-dont-matter/.
Accessed 22 Feb. 2022.
Rosner, Helen. "A Philosopher’s Defense of Anger." 14 Oct. 2021, www.newyorker.com/culture/q-and-a/a-philosophers-defense-of-anger. Accessed 22 Feb. 2022.
"Sunday
Reading: Commemorating Juneteenth." 13 June 2021,
www.newyorker.com/books/double-take/sunday-reading-commemorating-juneteenth.
Accessed 22 Feb. 2022.
Reflective Essay:
While
writing my Literature Review essay, my objective was to construct a detailed
essay with more reasoning of my chosen topic while making it somewhat like my
previous essay. Though I would say it was challenging to find and cite credible
sources that I hadn’t used before for the similar essay I had already written.
With essays being related I tried to avoid using common words in both essays so
that their similar in the description of the corresponding topics, yet
different in word choice. This would allow my essays to have clear reasonings
and a general purpose.
To
solve this problem, I used some sources given in class to complete my research.
Therefore, I used sources such as the New York Times, Google Scholars, and
more. While using these sources I noticed that my writing process got better.
Throughout this process I learned where to locate more credible sources and how
to do more thorough research including data and graphs.
