Artist: Mona Chalabi
I am going to begin sharing the process of my research into the systematic racism that is present in the criminal justice system here in America. As I began this project, there are some key things I learned during the research process.
While perusing a database for material, I discovered that there are many contributing factors that lead to biases in the courtroom, whether it be what the jury sees in the media, or preconceived notions that the judge has about certain defendants based on their background and race. What I assume to be a huge part of the problem is that the stereotypes that are perpetuated in the outside world make their way into spaces they should not be, like the minds of law enforcement and inside courtrooms.
A challenge that I faced was finding the right keywords to use when looking up articles on the subject matter that I want to cover. I had to use an advanced search that used 2-3 simple words in order to find what I was looking for.
My next step is to thoroughly read through the sources I think are most relevant to what I want to talk about, and become well-educated on the criminal justice systems and how it operates when it comes to people of color.
As an artist, I think the educational product that would suit me best for this project is a piece that highlights the different injustices that occur in the systematically racist criminal justice system that we rely on. I want to convey the lack of balance there is using symbolism and different techniques.
