State of Emergency: We Must Save African American Males [Hardcover]

Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2001

This critical analysis looks at the dire state of African American males and the tough challenges they face daily. Providing a holistic look at the educational, penal, and drug industries, this book condemns the institutions and standards that have declared war on black men. Why is there such a disparity between punishments for crack and cocaine? Why is 91 percent of the African American prison population illiterate? What are the effects of rampant racial profiling? Hope is provided with a discussion of institutions that have successfully developed African American men.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jawanza Kunjufu is the author of 16 books, including Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys and The Power, Passion, and Pain of Black Love. He lives in Chicago.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: African American Images; 1 edition (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 091354373X
• ISBN-13: 978-0913543733
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,754,659 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Saving African American Males, July 19, 2003

By 

Cedric Herring (Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: State of Emergency: We Must Save African American Males (Hardcover)

State of Emergency offers a bold, provocative, and uncompromising critique of America's treatment of black men and boys. This timely book not only asks crucial questions, it also provides insightful answers to some of the more baffling disparities that occur between African Americans (especially males) and others in American society. It asks, for example, "How do we reconcile that African Americans are 13 percent of drug users, but 35 percent of those arrested for drug possession, 55 percent of those convicted, and 74 percent of those sentenced?"

The disturbing (but credible) conclusion Jawanza Kunjufu reaches is that African American males are fodder for the penal system. He argues that prisons are big business and are growing at the rate of about 25 percent annually. Because much of the private sector sees how profitable providing goods and services to the government can be, the prison-industrial complex continues to grow, and the proportion of African American men involved with the criminal (in)justice system keeps increasing, despite declines in the crime rate.

From the outset, Kunjufu makes the case that Black America should declare a state of emergency. He asserts that there are several conditions that would lead to the declaration of a state of emergency if they were to occur in the United States' white community: (1) if one of every three white males were involved in the penal system; (2) if 80 percent of the white children in special education classes were male; (3) if there were three white females for every one white male on college campuses; (4) if white women had the life expectancy of African American males; (5) if one of every 12 white males in Washington, D.C., were a victim of homicide; (6) if 31 percent of white males in Alabama and Florida were permanently disenfranchised; (7) if 14 percent of white males nationwide were temporarily disenfranchised; (8) if AIDS were the number one killer of white males; (9) if whites were 13 percent of the population, but comprised 35 percent of drug arrests, 55 percent of drug convictions, and 74 percent of drug prisoners; (10) if whites comprised 17 percent of drivers on the Maryland state highway, but 70 percent of drivers stopped by the police; (11) if prosecutors sought the death penalty 70 percent of the time when a white person killed an African American, but only 19 percent of the time when it was reversed; (12) if 40 percent of white males were illiterate in America; (13) if whites were 13 percent of the population, but 50 percent of those waiting on death row; (14) if whites were 13 percent of the population, but 67 percent of the juveniles in adult courts and 77 percent of the juveniles in adult prisons; (15) if seven of every ten white babies were born out of wedlock; and (16) if whites represented 84 percent of the crack cocaine convictions, and if two of every three white males were projected to be involved in the penal system by 2020.

Kunjufu then not only shows that these conditions are true for African Americans, but he provides compelling explanations of why they are true and what can be done to change these circumstances.

This book is an eye-opener. More than just a recounting of the well-known problems in the African American community, State of Emergency offers an indictment of America's discriminatory practices which allow such conditions to fester. While the book could use better documentation for some of its claims and arguments, it is a worthy book for readers who want a critical perspective on the African American experience in the United States.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read For All Parents Of African American Males, October 15, 2003

By 

doris wood (MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: State of Emergency: We Must Save African American Males (Hardcover)

As a mother who has raised one AA male and currently going through the volatile teenaged years with my second son, this book has enlightened me. I wish I had access to this book and others on the subject of raising AA children at my disposal when they were toddlers. The earlier in the childs life that his parents' reads this book the better off he will be.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars black men, February 16, 2002

By 

rita smith (chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: State of Emergency: We Must Save African American Males (Hardcover)

how could we have increased our penal population from 100,000 to 1.4 million?i agree with kunjufu that this is a state of emergency.every african american needs to read this book and get involved to save our men.