On February 22, John Legend and Common took the stage at the Oscars to accept the award for Best Original Song for “Glory,” written for Selma, a powerful film depicting the struggles of the African-American community during the Civil Rights Movement. The acceptance speech the two men offered was equally as powerful as the beautiful performance of the song that preceded it; in the speech, John Legend stated, “We know that right now, the struggle for freedom and justice is real. We live in the most incarcerated country in the world. There are more Black men under correctional control today than were under slavery in 1850”. Since that night, many have questioned the validity of Legend’s statements and sought to further understand what exactly the prison industrial complex in this country looks like. Are minorities unfairly targeted? Are our economies dependent on mass incarceration? The Fordham Community provides answers to these questions and more. … More Fordham Explores the Implications of the Prison Industrial Complex