Category Archives: NYMP12

Mentor’s Perspective: Hector Vila on Troy Davis and How We Got Here.

Very often, I am reminded of how much I appreciate my Middlebury community and the people around me who are aware, conscious, and active thinkers/critics/participants in our world. I’m especially appreciative when I receive an All Posse email that shares an event, an accomplishment, a book, with our community.

The below was shared this week by Hector Vila, mentor for Middlebury Posse 12, regarding the disturbing outcome of the Troy Davis case.

Yesterday during the Troy Davis vigil, the relationship between economics, Jim Crow and the United States prison system came about…

Alex and Izzy (MP12), this past summer, turned me onto a very important book by Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow.  If you’re interested in this subject, this is a book that has to be read.

Alex and Izzy tried to get Ms. Alexander to campus, but she’s not doing any speaking gigs this year but you can watch her talk about this issue here with Bryan Stevenson on Bill Moyers, PBS. [Perhaps this is something to organize for next year?]

Paul Krugman in the New York Times writing about the social contract.

And this is me writing about how we got to this point, as this point has been programmed, indeed, and it’s been in the making for about 30 years: (this article has been picked up by several online services and is making its way [slowly] around; nevertheless, how we came to be). HectorVila.com