30 Quotes by James Forman, Jr.

I had gone to law school thinking that I would do something in the service of black people.

African-Americans have always viewed the protection of black lives as a civil rights issue, whether the threat comes from police officers or street criminals. Far from ignoring the issue of crime by blacks against other blacks, African-American officials and their constituents have been consumed by it.

The only news most people ever hear about the inner city comes from grim headlines; the only residents they can name are characters on 'The Wire.' Of course, ignorance of a community doesn't stop outsiders from having opinions about it or passing laws that govern it.

We must continue to recruit progressive prosecutors to run in local elections, support those who do, and hold them accountable if they win.

Prosecutors committed to reform need talented staff members who share that commitment, and our best legal talent should flock to their offices.

Attica. The name itself has long signified resistance to prison abuse and state violence.

Mass incarceration and its never-ending human toll will be with us until we come to see that no crime justifies permanent civic death.

Our system never treated the failure of prison as a reason not to try more prison.

The fundamental problem for the teaching profession is how undervalued it is and how underpaid teachers are.