TRANSCRIPT
Speaker: Dena 0:00
So, we are recording, Okay. Hi, my name is Dena and I’m a second-year student majoring in public health. So that’s who I am.
Speaker: Tatiyana 0:14
My name is Tatiyana and I’m a second-year majoring in biology.
Speaker: Dena 0:20
And I guess Today we’re going to be discussing some issues surrounding mass incarceration in the United States. So, I don’t know maybe we could start off with what you know about it, Tatiyana like in general. Just like
Speaker: Tatiyana 0:38
So, in general mass incarceration is the incarceration of different people but majority like what we’re going to be talking about today is people of color of how so many people of color are being put into jail over like small things compared to every other like race. So yeah, under the Articles it was talking about, like how there’s more people of color that are being put in jail for like small offenses, like getting pulled over, or like, it’s just anything like that compared to any other race.
Speaker: Dena 1:18
Yeah, for sure. And like, even like small, I guess drug crimes like, I feel like I’m always seeing on the news that there’s in like, predominantly white communities, they maybe have like these facilities where they can use like marijuana, some sort of like treatment, whereas, like, in a black community, it’s automatically like you’re a criminal and you’re just like part of the streets like that kind of narrative. So, there’s definitely like, those mental aspects of just like the prejudice and the differential treatment and just in general narratives, between those two communities, I would say
Speaker: Tatiyana 2:03
one of the other articles that I did they were talking about that as well how like a lot of people like they, like a lot of cops pull over like color people just for no reason. Like don’t just pull them over, compared to any other race and like, that’s very prestigious that like, they would have to go through something like that just because they’re like driving down the street like you never know. Like,
Speaker: Dena 2:25
yeah,
Speaker: Tatiyana 2:26
like to be there to keep us safe. But like, who’s keeping colored people safe? If they’re the one that’s getting treated differently out of everyone.
Speaker: Dena 2:38
Yeah. And it’s really funny, like, depending on what community you’re from how you view the police because, like you said, like some people like the police are, when you think of them they’re supposed to be there to like, make sure that society is running smoothly and people are calling the laws I call them if you’re in danger, like they’re supposed to be there to make sure everyone is safe. And oh, I feel like this relates to that whole topic of blue Lives Matter versus Black Lives Matter and you’re not like it. It’s not saying that one life matters more than another, but it’s that their life matters, too. And so, I feel like people who say like blue Lives Matter are the ones who don’t receive that super violent and just negative treatment slash nature from the police.
Speaker: Tatiyana 3:26
Yeah. Like, I also feel like sometimes, like people like have things that they want to say but like, it’s like, also, like, you’re from different a background. Like you don’t understand that, like, some other people might be going through like,sometimes people might need to, like, I don’t know, like, see it from another point of view, which sometimes I feel like people try to but then like, other times, it’s just like they try to criticize most of the time.
Speaker: Dena 3:51
Yeah. I also feel like when, like if you come from any sort of community that’s privileged in whichever type of way. You can say all you want that, like, you acknowledge that you’re privileged and you want to, like, try to move society in a direction to, like, help all different types of people. But then the moment you start feeling like you, as an individual are being attacked, then that’s like a bad sign because, um, you should acknowledge that when people like for example, if you say, white people are privileged in the sense that they don’t receive this violent treatment from the police and you’re a white person, and if that offends you in some type of way, then I feel like that’s a sign that you need to reanalyze like am I truly, like concerned for the wellbeing of our communities of color, like, Am I being authentic and honest with myself and the people around me, so I feel like you shouldn’t have any sort of, like negative feelings. towards that idea of that sense. Yeah if that makes sense.
Speaker: Tatiyana 5:03
Yeah, I agree with you.
Speaker Dena:
Yeah.
Speaker: Tatiyana 5:06
Yeah. Like definitely like you. I feel like when you’re like not a person of color, I feel like you have to take a step back and you have to, like analyze the situation also because, like, you, you’re not feeling the same things that like other people are feeling like you’re a person like that’s privileged to, like, you have to step away from your privilege to like know, like, what another person is feeling.
Speaker: Dena 5:27
Mm hmm. That’s so true. I feel like everyone needs to take some sort of like sociology class, like if they
Speaker: Tatiyana 5:34
I actually have taken a sociology class. That’s why like, that’s like, why one of the topics I was talking about, because like, we talked about that in sociology class as well.
Speaker: Dena 5:43
Yeah, for sure. And just like the whole idea that racism, it’s not just you treating someone bad because they’re of a different race. It’s like a systematic like, it’s the system and it’s made a certain type of person and people I still don’t understand that like literally the way our society is like, set up and its structure is like to keep certain people at the top and certain people
Speaker: Tatiyana 6:12
Yeah defiantly we learned that in sociology class, like you’re supposed to be at a particular place. And then there’s particular places for another person, like, You’re, you’re not like this first few particular person that’s in power, which is definitely the white people that are empowered and like, they were like, pushed to be like, they’re like, I don’t know.
Speaker: Dena 6:30
Yeah, for sure. And then I’m, like, kind of relating it back to mass incarceration. Um, last year, in my sociology class, actually, we chose different books to read and write a paper on it. And what that I chose is called The New Jim Crow. And I’m forgetting the author right now, but basically, it was all about how mass incarceration is the new Jim Crow in the sense that like, it proves once you like, first of all, it’s like so much more like a likely that if you’re a black or brown man, and you commit some sort of like small scale crime, you will get imprisoned. But then once you get out, it’s not like you’re free, and you’re good to go. Like, it prevents you from voting from getting a good job, like good housing, you just have so much stigma surrounding you. So, a lot of people just have this idea that like, you go to jail, like you serve your time. And then once you get out you, it’s like a new beginning. But it follows you.
Speaker: Tatiyana 7:31
Yeah, it’s definitely, it’s like, it’s on your record now, It’s like, there’s so many, like, opportunities that you’re going to miss out on just because like your records not clean anymore. So, like, people are gonna look at you differently.
Speaker: Dena 7:43
Mm hmm. That’s so true. And just in general, like, voting really needs to be something that’s accessible to everyone like, in your location. And if you even if you’re in a place where it’s like Voting as accessible in terms of location, but then you have that criminal record. Like, you’re just like, you’re really stuck in that level of the social hierarchy.
Speaker: Tatiyana 8:12
Yeah. I feel like that’s like another thing that needs to be looked at. Like, it’s kind of unfair, like, I know, like, they’re going to jail but like still, like, they’re still human. So, like, I feel like they should still have like the same opportunities as any other person.
Speaker: Dena 8:25
Yeah, they should. And it’s just like jail is such an interesting topic in general, like, just this mental effect it has on a person.
Speaker: Tatiyana 8:38
Yeah, definitely. I just can’t imagine like, I feel like definitely when you go to jail, like that definitely changes you like I don’t know.
Speaker: Dena 8:43: Yeah, I feel like none of us actually know what goes on inside of jails and how they get treated. Even right now with like the whole coronavirus thing, now that it’s entered some jails that can be really detrimental because they’re probably not receiving proper health care at all in there, so yeah.
Speaker: Tatiyana 9:06: I know that speaking on that, I guess like a few jails are like letting people out because of how corona is going around, which is also crazy to think about too.
Speaker: Dena 9:19: Yeah that is crazy. Just so many different things that can hit different communities. Like, for example, if coronavirus hits like a very overcrowded and underfunded housing community imagine how much more detrimental it can be because some people don’t have those tools and means to social distance and eat from home and have the proper things to like clean all their belongings, like the disinfectants and stuff.
Speaker: Tatiyana 9:54: And then like also, speaking on that also, people like don’t have the means to like to stay home. With all the unemployment going on and everything, people have to work to support themselves and their families.
Speaker: Dena 10:11: Yeah exactly. It’s really such a luxury if you have a big house that you could just kinda camp out in and depending on how many kids you have you can go in your rooms to get some privacy, but if you live in a small apartment you just don’t have that. People still have to go out and work, if it’s in a grocery store you’re probably gonna be in a lot of contact and be more at risk for getting that virus or any disease in general that might be going around. And then, I guess that another topic that kinda relates to this and the whole idea of healthcare and the differential treatment and black pregnant women and their childbirth rates and just like maternal mortality.
Speaker: Tatiyana 11:04: Yeah, like definitely like one of the articles I read they were talking about how medical professionals aren’t hearing black women or people of color at all. Like one of the people, Serena Williams, was having a blood clot and she was talking to one of the nurses and was telling them that she didn’t feel good and they were telling her it was probably just the pain medicine that like isn’t kicking in but in reality she knew what was going on and she knew that she had a blood clot that was probably gonna burst and like they just weren’t listening to her. It’s like we have a voice that we wanna like tell people, but they’re just not hearing,, like they just like it’s like a hierarchy it’s like they’[re the person in power and they think they’re right and they just don’t wanna like listen to like to what other people are feeling I guess.
Speaker: Dena 11:59: Right like just because you went through all this schooling and training you can never too much of that humanizing a patient. It’s not just like terms and what you’ve experienced because like every patient, from patient to patient, they vary and they differ and what they’re experiencing and their levels of pain so you really have to, like every time you go into a patient’s room like have a clean mind and listen to them and like use your knowledge to decipher what’s going on with that patient so that they can receive the best kind of care and like that stuff.
Speaker: Tatiyana 12:39: Yeah definitely, I just feel like they like kinda try to treat every patient like the same and we’re not like everyone is not the same and we need to like look at people differently just to like, you know like there’s a bigger cause for something that might be wrong with them especially if like people of color – there’s different things that we can get that other people like probably wouldn’t have.
Speaker: Dena 13:04: Yeah exactly, and just like your type of healthcare you receive – and just like going back to the pregnant black women and if you don’t receive the same level and quality of life, prematernal or prenatal healthcare I think it is, then you may be more likely to run into issues during childbirth so you have to look at how much preventative healthcare someone has already gone through just to see what they are at risk for and all that type of stuff.
Speaker: Tatiyana 13:37: Yeah definitely. A quote from one of the articles that like I read was that white women in their twenties are more likely to give birth to a healthy baby than those in their teens, but among black women the opposite was true – the older the mother the greater the risk in maternal and newborns complications and death, and I feel like that’s something that should definitely be looked at. I don’t know, just the fact that, I don’t know, a black woman, just that she’s of greater age the child is more likely to have complications and she’s more likely to have complications – that’s definitely something that should be looked at, I don’t know.
Speaker: Dena 14:19: Yeah, that is, because you would think that like now that the woman is older you can’t blame whatever they’re saying on like still being a child kind of and not having like the proper knowledge and education on their own health and in general older people know more about their own health and body, so it just really shows that it doesn’t matter like your age or what you know – it might just be the fact that you’re black and gonna have as good as a health outcome as a white woman, so..
Speaker: Tatiyana 14:54: Yeah definitely.
Speaker: Dena 14:58 I think we’ve already covered everything…