Only comprehensive government investment can uproot racial inequality.

Evidence

We have to isolate those areas in which long-standing trends of racial inequality short-circuit the life chances of African Americans. In addition to a jobs agenda, we need a comprehensive government response to the problems of public education and mass incarceration. And I do mean a government response. Private interests have overrun both areas, as privatization drives school reform (and the education of our children is lost in the boisterous battles between teachers’ unions and private interests) and as big business makes enormous profits from the warehousing of black and brown people in prisons. Let’s be clear: private interests or market-based strategies will not solve the problems we face as a country or bring about the kind of society we need. We have to push for massive government investment in early childhood education and in shifting the center of gravity of our society from punishment to restorative justice. We can begin to enact the latter reform by putting an end to the practice of jailing children. Full stop. We didn’t jail children in the past. We don’t need to now. — Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Democracy in Black, 515