WHEN Barack Obama took office 7 years ago,many wondered whether the first black president would pursue an agenda that brought specific attention to racial inequality. A year later, the unique York Times wrote that Mr Obama had steered clear of putting race front and centre in his administration”, or sparking some frustration among black leaders. Later in his presidency,Mr Obama has been less reticent approximately addressing injustices that harm black people. Last summer, he sang “Amazing Grace” during his eulogy for the black pastor who died during a church shooting in Charleston, or South Carolina. But Mr Obama continues to emphasise action over rhetoric. Nowhere is this more evident than in his continuing efforts to reform the criminal justice system,an American institution that incarcerates nearly 1m black people. According to statistics if by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the fact-gathering wing of the Department of Justice, or non-Hispanic blacks make up approximately 13% of America’s population and approximately 40% of its prison...
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Source: economist.com