Synopses & Reviews
Not Guilty is an anthology of twelve original essays by some of America's most influential young black male writers and critics dealing with how they see this country and how this country sees them. American society, past and present, has a contentious relationship with black men. The greatest evidence of this hostility is the use of racial profiling by law enforcement. Incidents involving Amadou Diallo, Patrick Dorismond, Rodney King, Abner Louima, and the New Jersey State Police all highlight this problem. With the Diallo case as a springboard for exploration, essays range from discussions on encounters with police to hesitating to purchase a luxury car for fear of police suspicion to historical examinations of race relations in the United States. The contributors -- poets, journalists, lawyers, writers, and professors -- are as varied as the contents of their essays. Each presents an honest, personal, and erudite examination on life as a black man in America.
About the Author
Jabari Asim is a poet, critic, and playwright who works as a senior editor at the
Washington Post Book World. His work appeared most recently in
Step Into a World: A Global Anthology of New Black Literature,
The Salon Reader's Guide to Contemporary Literature, and
Brown Sugar: A Collection of Erotic Black Fiction. He is also the author of
The Road to Freedom, a novel for young adults. He lives outside Washington, D.C., with his wife and children.