Through the story of a thirteen-year-old black boy condemned to life in prison, Elaine Brown exposes the 'New Age' racism that effectively condemns millions of poor African-Americans to a third world life. The story of 'Little B' is riveting, a stunning example of the particular burden racism imposes on black youths. Most astonishing, almost all of the officials involved in bringing him to 'justice' are black. Michael Lewis was officially declared a ward of the state at age eleven, and then systematically ignored until his arrest for murder. Brown wondered how this boy could possibly have aroused so much public resentment, why he was being tried (and roundly condemned, labeled a 'super-predator') in the press. Then she met Michael and began investigating his case on her own. Brown adeptly builds a convincing case that the prosecution railroaded Michael, looking for a quick, symbolic conviction. His innocence is almost incidental to the overwhelming evidence that the case was unfit for trial. Little B was convicted long before he came to court, and effectively sentenced years before, when the 'safety net' allowed him to slip silently down. Brown cites studies and cases from all over America that reveal how much more likely youth of color are to be convicted of crimes and to serve long-even life-sentences, and how deeply the new black middle class is implicated in this devastating reality.

Uncared for first by his mother and then the state, by the time he was thirteen Michael lived mostly on the streets of The Bluff, with little chance of turning his situation around.".

African Americans today face a systemic crisis of mass underemployment, mass imprisonment, and mass disfranchisement. This comprehensive reader makes clear to students the mutual constitution of these three crises.

Through the story of a thirteen-year-old black boy condemned to life in prison, Elaine Brown exposes the 'New Age' racism that effectively condemns millions of poor African-Americans to a third world life. The story of 'Little B' is riveting, a stunning example of the particular burden racism imposes on black youths. Most astonishing, almost all of the officials involved in bringing him to 'justice' are black. Michael Lewis was officially declared a ward of the state at age eleven, and then systematically ignored until his arrest for murder. Brown wondered how this boy could possibly have aroused so much public resentment, why he was being tried (and roundly condemned, labeled a 'super-predator') in the press. Then she met Michael and began investigating his case on her own. Brown adeptly builds a convincing case that the prosecution railroaded Michael, looking for a quick, symbolic conviction. His innocence is almost incidental to the overwhelming evidence that the case was unfit for trial. Little B was convicted long before he came to court, and effectively sentenced years before, when the 'safety net' allowed him to slip silently down. Brown cites studies and cases from all over America that reveal how much more likely youth of color are to be convicted of crimes and to serve long-even life-sentences, and how deeply the new black middle class is implicated in this devastating reality.

This Fall 2003/Spring 2004 (II, 2) issue of Human Architecture: Journal of the Sociology of Self-Knowledge includes a collection of student essays exploring their lives in an, applied, sociological imagination framework. Topics are: “A Welcoming Statement to the Editorial Advisory Board,” “The Complexity of Naive Acceptance of Socially Manipulated Beliefs,” “Alice in the Gendered Sports-Fan Wonderland: A Sociological Inquiry,” “Will I Marry Her?,” “The Effect of Immigrant Experiences on the Bifurcation of Women’s Consciousness,” “Who are “I”cscart_ A Sociology of My Traditional, Modern, and Postmodern Selves,” “My Life’s Tapestry: Casting Theoretical Lights on the Social Threads That Tie Me Down,” “From Alienation to Exploration: Breaking Free from the Iron Cages of My Life,” “Body Image: A Clouded Reality,” “Obsessed with Impression Management: A Critical Sociology of Body Image in Capitalist Society,” “The Roots of Procrastination: A Sociological Inquiry into Why I Wait Until Tomorrow,” “Honesty, Trust, and Love—In That Order: A Sociology of My Emotional Kaleidoscope,” “Questioning Motherhood: A Sociological Awakening,” “Durkheim, Mead, and Heroin Addiction,” “Anomie or Alienationcscart_ A Self-Exploration of the Roots of Substance Ab/use,” “Just Live: The Trick Is, You Have A Choice,” ““Asian”: Just A Simple Word,” “Defining the Other,” “De/Reconstructing Utopianism: Towards a World-Historical Typology.” Contributors include: Ayan Ahmed, Elizabeth J. Schumacher, Chris DaPonte, Guadalupe Paz, Marie Neuner, D. M. Rafferty, Annie Roper, M. D., Michelle B. Jacobs, Jennifer M. Kosmas, Lynne K. Marlette, Keilah Billings, Nancy O’Keefe Dyer, Buddi Osco, Savvas Fetfatsidis, Kuong C. Ly, Jorge Capetillo-Ponce, and Mohammad H. Tamdgidi (also as journal editor-in-chief). Human Architecture: Journal of the Sociology of Self-Knowledge is a publication of OKCIR: The Omar Khayyam Center for Integrative Research in Utopia, Mysticism, and Science (Utopystics). For more information about OKCIR and other issues in its journal’s Edited Collection as well as Monograph and Translation series visit OKCIR’s homepage.

Compañeras is the untold story of women's involvement in the Zapatista movement, the indigenous rebellion that has inspired grassroots activists around the world for over two decades. Gathered here are the stories of grandmothers, mothers, and daughters who became guerilla insurgents and political leaders, educators and healers—who worked collectively to construct a new society of dignity and justice. Compañeras shows us how, after centuries of oppression, a few voices of dissent became a force of thousands, how a woman once confined to her kitchen rose to conduct peace negotiations with the Mexican government, and how hundreds of women overcame ingrained hardships to strengthen their communities from within.

The Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides an up-to-date resource for information on legal ethics. Federal, state and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in solving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions and much more. In this volume, black-letter Rules of Professional Conduct are followed by numbered Comments that explain each Rule's purpose and provide suggestions for its practical application. The Rules will help you identify proper conduct in a variety of given situations, review those instances where discretionary action is possible, and define the nature of the relationship between you and your clients, colleagues and the courts.