“The New Cotton- From race chattel slavery to race conviction slavery” is a history lesson on not just the impact of slavery on society but a look at the modern-day judicial and penal systems.

Author Leo Barron Hicks said he was motivated to write The New Cotton for a number of reasons, including making sure that readers don’t fall prey to the economic and social factors that “invariably lead to the new slavery.”

The “new slavery” is the criminal justice system and Black people are the “new cotton,” he says and as an attorney, Mr. Hicks knows the system and gives a clear picture of what is seen in courtrooms around America.

He candidly discusses statistics and from a historical perspective how Blacks and other “minorities” have suffered in instances when the justice system has been guilty of infractions, ethical violations and sometimes crooked prosecutors and judges.

He explained, “I want to send a wake up call to other young Black males, to show them the real purpose of the criminal justice system and to convince them that we can and must do better.” The New Cotton opens with attorney Richard James Thomas, who is defending “poor D’Vante Jenkins. Through Attorney Thomas’ eyes, you see inside the county jail as Mr. Hicks explains what it is like to be incarcerated. There’s no sugarcoating here.

“Poor D’Vante Jenkins couldn’t take a step without someone’s approval,” he wrote. “He couldn’t take a bite of food without a guard’s consent. Hell, D’Vante couldn’t even take a dump without permission.”

The author also introduces Monique, showing how women can just as easily get caught up in “the system” and how having a support system can save you from a life of slavery.

There are some hard truths, says the author, who points out seven. For history buffs, The New Cotton will take you back to the 1600s to explore the impact of slavery on society today. The language is graphic, straight-forward and in-your-face. A key component will be the “New Social Compact.”

“The time has therefore come for African Americans to adopt a new Code of Conduct,” Mr. Hicks writes, “A new set of rules to govern individual conduct, to provide the context for social interaction and to reinforce the collective obligations owed to one another.”

Rating:




If you have a book you would like reviewed, contact Cheryl at csmith@dallasweekly.com