‘New Jim Crow’ Author Michelle Alexander Becomes The New York Times’ Only Black Female Columnist

Alexander’s book gained popularity for its focus on how the War on Drugs became a tool for the criminal justice system to incarcerate black males and other disadvantaged minorities at disproportional rates. Issues of mass incarceration, the book argues, should be at the center of conversations surrounding race, civil rights and justice.

The novel won the NAACP’s Image Award for Outstanding Non-fiction in 2011 and was a New York Times bestseller.

“Michelle is the author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, the book that changed the way many of us think about criminal justice and about the persistence and adaptation of forms of racial control in the United States. She is a powerful writer, a fierce advocate for a more just world and a deep believer in open-minded, searching debate over how to achieve it,” James Bennet, New York Times editorial page editor, said in a written statement.

After leading a career dedicated to service – traversing through life as a civil rights lawyer, a clerk for Justice Harry Blackmun on the Supreme Court and director of the Racial Justice Project for Northern California’s American Civil Liberties Union – Alexander has been openly welcomed to the Times by its progressive audience. It’s unclear if Alexander is the first woman of color to be brought on by the publication as a columnist, but she is the only woman of color to serve in the position.

Mehdi Hasan

@mehdirhasan

This is awesome. Finally, a woman of colour joins the NY Times op-ed pages as a columnist.

Next up, a Latino columnist maybe?

Someone who’s not Tom Friedman to speak for brown/Arab/Muslim communities, which find themselves at the centre of so much of our political discourse?

Mike Forsythe 傅才德

@PekingMike

A much-needed FABULOUS hire by NYT opinion pages. Michelle Alexander, author of “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” joining as a columnist. https://www.nytco.com/michelle-alexander-joins-the-new-york-times-opinion-pages-as-columnist/ 

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Drug Policy Alliance

@DrugPolicyOrg

Congratulations to our friend Michelle Alexander on joining @nytopinion as a columnist! Check out her powerful keynote speech on race and the war on drugs from DPA’s Reform Conference last year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8yGRFNlYqM 

NYTimes Communications

@NYTimesPR

Michelle Alexander joins @nytopinion as a columnist https://www.nytco.com/michelle-alexander-joins-the-new-york-times-opinion-pages-as-columnist/ 

Article Appeared @https://blavity.com/new-jim-crow-author-michelle-alexander-becomes-the-new-york-times-only-black-female-columnist

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