According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, recidivism is “a tendency to relapse into a previous condition or mode of behavior; especially: relapse into criminal behavior.” When we think about this word, we tend to focus on a certain group of people: those who we call returning citizens, or people who have been incarcerated. Recidivism is when returning citizens come home from prison, turn back to the lifestyle that caused them to be incarcerated then are sent back to prison.
When I think about recidivism, I think about the minds of the people who are behaving in a certain manner. I think about all the things they may do and all the things inside their minds that may cause them to act a certain way.
So I began to think about African-Americans as a whole, all the things our ancestors went through and all the mental anguish we have endured as a people, and I realized recidivism is not only an issue with people returning to prison, but is also an issue with our people returning to slavery.
When we look at all the issues we face as a people (consumerism, over-inclusiveness, no self-identity, self-hatred and the unwillingness to help one another), I realize recidivism goes beyond the people who have been to prison; we have been severely damaged by slavery so much we are working our way back to being incarcerated.
It is a tremendously logical thought. Slavery was a form of incarceration so, quite naturally, recidivism is very possible for us as a race. Just think about it: There were slaves who believed they were better off in bondage than they would have ever been had they been free. That means their minds had become at peace in a place that was actually bad for them.
We see this in our people today. There are people who care more about staying unhappy in their 9-to-5 than they do about breaking free to start their own business. We have people who shun, or attempt to instill fear in, other African-Americans who make the decision to seek a better life for themselves. We have been trained to stay as slaves. We have been taught you can have a good life as a prisoner as long as you don’t rock the boat. In prison, if you rock the boat, you get thrown into solitary confinement. When you rock the boat in society, you get exiled or considered a trouble maker. If you don’t believe me, try standing up against unjust behaviors in your work environment today, and let me know how it works out for you.
I remember how the main character in “12 Years a Slave” was hanging on a tree in the slave community, and no one did a thing to help him. We have gotten to a point where we refuse to help the people who are willing to die helping us.
We have to start the healing process. I know there will be an abundance of African-Americans sitting in their offices or in their nice homes reading this who will believe I am so off track. Well, I am here to tell you to do a self-analysis and look at your surroundings. Ask yourself a few questions. If you are the only person of color in the place where you work, ask yourself if you are comfortable. Ask yourself if you are trying to make a change and open the door for people who look like you. Think about the work that was put in so you could sit in that chair, that neighborhood or that restaurant. Then ask yourself if you are carrying the torch, or if you have dropped it because of your own comfort.
Recidivism generally happens when one feels they have no better options, so they work their way back to their uncomfortable place of peace. As I write the words “uncomfortable place of peace,” I realize it doesn’t make one bit of sense. I feel the same way about recidivism. Let’s start the healing process and get back on the road to true freedom.
Greg Meriweather is the host of the Black On Black Radio Show and the chief executive officer of Black On Black LLC.
