Preface to Scholarship from the Inside
Introduction
Editors of The Harbinger
RLSC’s The Harbinger is proud to present this special issue, entitled Movements for Freedom: Scholarship from the Inside. The issue features writing and art exclusively from authors who are or were incarcerated. Each piece relates to the author’s experience with the U.S. criminal punishment system. We believe the stories presented in this issue represent a powerful and important addition to RLSC’s published scholarship.
We wanted this space to serve as a platform to uplift voices that our society too often suppresses and ignores. To that end, most pieces have been subjected to very limited editing. We believe that preserving the authors’ voices has independent value. In some cases, we faced a tension between the words as written and our official RLSC style guidelines. We chose to favor the author’s choice of words, agreeing with our authors’ insistence that their choice of words reflected their experience in a more authentic way. We ask readers to engage with the pieces with this in mind, to listen for the many unique voices who contributed to this project.
We were grateful to receive far more answers to our call to submissions than we expected. We wish to thank all who submitted their work for trusting us with their stories, for their patience and hard work through the editing process. We thank also those who helped facilitate communication.
Scholarship from the Inside will be published in phases, which reflects the timing of submission and editing. Please watch this space for continued updates in the coming months. We are so excited and honored to publish this array of smart, thoughtful, and transformative work.
Suggested Reading
The Muslim Ban Revisited: Trump v. Hawaii Two Years Later
The discriminatory laws, practices, and policies promised and delivered by President Trump have social, political, and economic ramifications. First, they reinforce misconceptions about Islam as an inherently violent religion. Second, they breed intolerance, fear, and hostility among the general population
U.S. Elections 2020: Where and How Do We Draw a Constitutionally Permissible Line to a Candidate's Inflammatory Political Rhetoric?
"It's important to note that scholars have long observed that political discourse and political events can contribute to the frequency of bias incidents. In fact, this phenomenon has a name today. It's called the Trump Effect."
Review of Immigration-Related U.S. Supreme Court Cases: Challenges, Ramifications, and What to Expect
Scholars discuss the most significant immigration-related cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, their ramifications, and what to expect in 2020.
Mass Violence Motivated by Hate: Are New Domestic Terrorism Laws the Answer?
Do new domestic terrorism laws put Black Lives Matter supporters, anti-war protestors, and/or animal rights activists at risk? Do they presently incorporate sufficient safeguards against such misuse and abuse?