Just Mercy is not just the story of one man wrongfully incarcerated, it is the story of many black people who have all fallen victim to our failing justice system. The disproportionate incarceration of black people at a rate that is vastly higher than their population in the U.S. is a problem that stems from stereotypes and prejudice and a history of exclusion that has shaped a significant portion of our society. Ideas about black people being different or more “dangerous” are unfortunately still prevalent in American society today, perpetuated by films and popular culture that present black people and other minorities in a negative light.

For example, the practice of redlining which was designed to keep certain “undesirable” groups in specific residential areas still affects the racial and socioeconomic distribution of people, who have been trapped in a cycle of poverty, incapable of building wealth because of the area in which they live. Areas with higher minority populations are subject to significant over-policing, which in turn leads to higher rates of incarceration and “confirm” existing stereotypes about minorities, worsening the prejudice against them. The impact of incarceration for minor that likely would not have happened if the person was white is that it prevents black people from being able to get jobs and vote and have any impact on the system that has been failing them from the very start of our nation.

Not enough is being done in order to reshape the way that we (often unconsciously) think about people who are different from ourselves. In order to help address this, people should consume content that goes against their preexisting ideas, and they should educate themselves on the struggle of black people in America. Although this summer was a turning point for a lot of people, it is extremely important that the issue of racism does not continue to get swept under the rug the way it has for the past few hundred years.