In the second part of this episode of For the People, New York Supreme Court Judge Bruce Wright continues his address at the University of South Carolina’s Black scholar lecture series. Judge Wright continues with a focus on the overwhelming presence of police brutality and the growth of inherent racial bias as he draws from a flurry of anecdotes to illustrate. He highlights the sustained problems in the judicial system that have continued to perpetuate and tolerate racism despite the civil rights era ending almost forty years ago. The same cycles of discrimination have rooted themselves into the fiber of our country, and Judge Wright emphasizes that this is exactly how the system was designed.
Judge Wright continues with a discussion surrounding the country’s use of the death penalty and the deep-seated inequities that have become synonymous with the nation’s legal foundations. Whether it be inconsistencies in the language of the Constitution or the abundance of poor judicial decisions, Judge Wright preaches that the number of oppressive foundations fostered in the United States cannot be understated.
Closing with a call for change in judicial process, Judge Wright demands a reflection upon the discriminatory and oppressive foundations of the United States. He notes the ever-present stereotypes and national tone that have been large contributors to the spread of the disease that is racism.
