Mass Incarceration, Mass Deportation, and the Persistence of White Supremacy: A Conversation with Kelly Lytle Hernández

What are the roots of mass deportation and incarceration, and what do the two have to do with each other? How can studying these histories allow us to confront and dismantle the racist structures at the center of today’s national conversation? Professor Kelly Lytle Hernández — UCLA historian, activist, author, and recent recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Prize — shares her insights on these vital questions on this week’s episode of Then & Now. She discusses the foundational role of white supremacy and settler colonialism in the establishment of policing and immigration enforcement in the United States. She then discusses the historical arc of activism against these systems, outlining the need for divestment from policing, investment in Black life, and redress for historical injustice.