http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqV7HOVOPLE&feature=related

Cell Block Tango from the movie version of Chicago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBxAy4xjCfw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyMFdlQTLS0 (great words/intent and interesting he calls school the Jim Crow of our time...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKKH9_N6EjU  (This is great)

If you only can watch one clip, watch this "Hip Hop Documentary: Rap, Prision, and Economics"-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9sgSvBT7Dk&feature=related 

Not so much for this particular post, but THIS for Barb's class and our discussion of Alexander's book.  Here is a YouTube documentary by the same name that starts with the same arguments she makes..a reproduction to make it more accessible?  Very little-almost nothing-is written about it, and there are no links I can find between the video and Alexander.  Really interesting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McZOXzlnC2U&feature=related

Great, easy to understand video about issues in America's criminal justice system: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUt_fIB6A_Y&feature=related

Sorry to overload everyone!

I've been thinking a lot about our class discussion about the Supreme Court case that would effectively end affirmative action.

In this clip, from Real Time with Bill Maher, actress Kerry Washington debates (informally, but swiftly) commentator Will Cain on the issue, fighting his suggestion that we live in a post-racial society. I feel like this encompasses a lot of what my feelings are on the issue, and brings up a lot of great points, so please watch if you're interested!

Growing up, I learned a lot about the injustices in this world through music, especially through rap. So I will use this form of media to represent schools and prisons. I am posting two things from activist, poet and late artist, Tupac Amaru Shakur. One is a video of his song "trapped" which is filmed in a prison and talks about the ways in which black men--hard to find content on female incarceration--are targeted and, ultimately, trapped in and beyond prison. I have also included the lyrics. The second thing I wanted to share was an interview (in transcript form although the entire video is on Youtube) from Tupac at age 17 speaking in great detail about the injustices in education and the irrelevance of some its subjects. I love this interview because it is from the perspective of a subject we have only analyzed and have not really heard from: a young person of color from an inner-city background. I'd like to share my favorite excerpt. It is Tupac talking about what should be taught in schools:

I have very distinct memories of this chain email going around showing images of a new prison in Austria, which were falsely attributed to a Chicago prison.  There was complete outrage that tax dollars could pay for a prison so luxurious, and I immediately thought of the email when Jody asked to show our images of prisons.

http://www.ted.com/talks/stephen_ritz_a_teacher_growing_green_in_the_south_bronx.html