LeRon Barton

This originally appeared on Glide.org When I learned that the California Parole for Non-Violent Criminals and Juvenile Court Trial Requirements Initiative, otherwise known as Prop 57, would be on the ballot this November, my curiosity was immediately piqued. I am a writer who has published essays on the destruction of mass incarceration. I am a co-chair of the Glide Memorial Church Racial Justice Group, a team devoted to fighting racism/white supremacy. Most importantly, I am a Black man in America. I see the importance of Prop 57. In a report…

This originally appeared on The Good Men Project  Recently I was invited to participate in an online forum about race in America. Three other guests and I were discussing the murder of Mario Woods by the San Francisco Police Department, the Bundy Oregon occupation, and the lack of African Americans in Silicon Valley. As we talked about the issues and the reasoning behind them, one of the guests said, “The reason why the Bundy family has not been arrested, more Blacks are not working at dotcom’s, and Woods was murdered…

This article originally appeared on The Good Men Project As long as I’ve known him, TJ has been a good friend. He was understanding, thoughtful, and had a maturity about him that I admired. When TJ and I would hang out, the conversations and activities would range from the silly—getting our faces stuffed with cheap cheeseburgers and rummaging through X-Men back issues at Clint Comics, to the serious—having deep discussions on race, politics, and science. Our friendship started over being from around the same neighborhood and loving hip-hop, but our…

This originally appeared on The Good Men Project I talk and write about race, a lot. It permeates every facet of my life. I cannot escape being Black, even if I wanted to. I have always been race conscious, known who I am, and where I stand in the world. However, everything changed for me during the Trayvon Martin trial. I saw not only how much vocal support George Zimmerman received from people, but also how much money was donated to protect a child killer. From that moment on, my…