According to the ACLU and CNN, despite making up close to 5% of the global population, the U.S. has nearly 25% of the world’s prison population. Our incarcerated population has increased by 700% ­­since 1970. Though African-Americans comprise only about 12% of the total US population, they represent 33 percent of the federal and state prison populations.

One of every three Black boys born today can expect to go to prison in his lifetime, compared to one of every 17 white boys…unless things change. Mass incarceration in the US is key to the school to prison pipeline, and the system chugs along on vestiges of slavery. 

Join host Susan McCabe as she explores mass incarceration and current efforts at decarceration with Kendrick Washington, Youth Policy Counsel for Washington State’s ACLU; Attorney Fred Diamondstone; and Vashon SURJ (Showing Up For Racial Justice) members Bailey DeIongh and Janie Starr. Tune in to engage in some REALTalk about how to assure that Black Lives Matter in our nation.