Over the course of the class, you have become knowledgeable about some of the historical and structural dynamics concerning race and crime in the United States. In this assignment, you are expected to share your expertise by writing an “open letter” related to an issue or controversy (the specific issue will be your decision—as explained below). This is not a research paper but a different kind of writing project. You still have to present facts, academic literature, and offer a compelling, logical argument. That said, you also have room to write creatively and passionately, tell stories, be political, and try to move and sway an audience while expressing some form of grievance to the “powers-that-be.” On page 2, you will find important information about open letters.

Content Details 

First step: You are to identify a particular “case study” or issue you want to provide commentary on. In short, you are to choose to respond to one of three things: 1) a particular “incident” (i.e. a particular issue or controversy pertaining to one aspect of the criminal justice system as it relates to race and crime), or 2) a particular policy/practice (ie. stop-and-frisk, community-oriented policing, use of body cams, mandatory minimums, felon disenfranchisement, etc.) or experience/trend (ie. racial disparities in use of force).

Second step: Research and read about the specific context and/or issue you have decided to write about. Do some basic reading on the history of the issue, or the comments made by claimsmakers related to the issue at hand. Try to understand the basic historical context, what has been said or hasn’t been said, etc. That is, do your homework so you know the most basic and necessary details of the issue you have chosen.

Third step: Write your open letter. Here, we are attempting to go “beyond the moment”. By this, of course, we mean to think sociologically, historically, and politically about your issue. What this means is that your open letter must be written from this perspective. That is to say, the reason in writing the open letter is to demonstrate why we must care to understand the topic under scrutiny, and to do so by going “beyond the moment.” This means you will be expressing your grievance to a larger audience by trying to show them the importance of thinking sociologically and historically about the issue in question. Specific things to address in the letter are detailed below.

To make your point, you need to provide: 

- An overview of the event/issue being discussed (how it came to be, how prevalent it is, who it affects, how it operates, etc. 

- An explanation of why it’s a problem (think about inequality, lack of effectiveness if we’re talking about policies/practices, harm caused, cost, and so on) 

- A summary of some of the things currently being done in response to this issue (organizations that are fighting this issue, current reforms, calls for abolition, etc.)

In my view, the best open letters pieces cite research while others cite personal experience in creative, passionate but measured prose.