Ruth Wilson Gilmore argues that capitalism in the United States is deeply tied to race, and she suggests that it would only cease to be racial capitalism if whiteness disappeared from the story altogether. What she means is that whiteness has historically shaped who receives economic and social advantages, and who gets excluded. In this sense, hiteness operates as a form of built-in privilege that influences laws, institutions, and opportunities. The connection between whiteness and racism is that racism becomes embedded in the system when whiteness is treated as the norm or the group meant to be protected. Gilmore’s point is that racism isn’t just individual prejudice it is woven into the structure of capitalism itself.

2. How the System Creates “Criminals”
Gilmore also argues that the criminal justice and prison systems actually help create the very category of “criminal.” This happens through over-policing in poor and racialized neighborhoods, limited economic opportunities, and policies that make it easy for minor offenses to turn into lifelong labels. Once someone enters the system, the barriers they face like difficulty finding work or housing keep them trapped in cycles that increase the likelihood of re-arrest. In this way, the system reproduces the label “criminal” rather than reducing harm. I agree with her view because there is strong evidence that mass incarceration grows not just from individual behavior but from how the system targets certain communities and restricts their futures.

3. Gilmore’s Idea of a “Liberation Struggle”
When Gilmore talks about a “liberation struggle,” she is referring to the collective effort to challenge institutions that produce inequality, especially the prison industrial complex. For her liberation is not only about ending prisons but also about building a society where people have access to the resources they need such as housing, education, and stability so that punishment is no longer treated as a solution. A liberation struggle is therefore a fight for a world where safety and freedom come from support and opportunity, not policing and incarceration.

When Gilmore talks about “whiteness” she doesn’t just mean white people, but a social system that defines who gets power, safety, and opportunity. Whiteness works as a standard that society treats as normal or deserving while others are seen as different or threatening. Racism grows out of this because the laws, institutions, and policies are built to protect whiteness and disadvantage people that are non-white, so racial capitalism depends on whiteness to justify inequality and exploitation. That is why Gilmore says that it can’t truly end unless whiteness stops being the center of the story.

Gilmore argues that the prison system creates criminals by labeling people as “criminal” and trapping them in cycles they can’t escape. Once someone is incarcerated they lose access to jobs, housing, education, and voting, which pushes them into poverty and makes arrest someone more than once more likely. This means the system doesn’t just punish crime it helps reproduce it. I agree with her view to an extent because the system focuses more on punishment than rehabilitation. Instead of fixing the conditions that lead to crime it often makes those conditions worse.

Gilmore describes liberation struggle as collective action aimed at transforming the systems that create inequality and not just about making small reforms. It is about addressing root issues like poverty, racism, and incarceration, rather than only responding to their symptoms. Liberation struggle also means imagining new ways of organizing society that don’t rely on punishment and exclusion. It’s hopeful but also long term and ongoing. For Gilmore liberation is something people work toward together, not something granted from above.

Ruth Gilmore says that capitalism will stop being racial capitalism, when all the white people disappear from the story. What’s the connection between “whiteness” and racism, do you think?

Gilmore argues that capitalism started racial in Europe, among groups whose descendants became white. It relies on inequality, which racism locks in. Whiteness forms as the “not-race” pole in this hierarchy. It justifies exploitation by marking some as lesser. Remove white people, and racial capitalism endures. It needs hierarchy, not specific races. You see this in how prisons target surplus labor, regardless of skin. I think the link ties whiteness to inventing racial difference for profit. It hides class war as natural division. Undo one, you must undo both.

Gilmore makes the point that criminals are actually being created by the criminal justice and prison system (she says “the category of ‘criminal person’ can be perpetuated”). According to Gilmore, how does that happen, how does the prison system create new “criminals“? Do you agree with her view?

The system needs constant criminals to feed prisons. It expands the pool. Add more behaviors as crimes. Lengthen sentences. Mark people as “criminal” forever. Reentry fails because labels block jobs, housing. Barriers push recidivism. You cycle back in. This perpetuates the category. Gilmore ties it to slavery’s unfreedom, reborn in U.S. racial order. I agree.

Describe how your understand what Prof. Gilmore – in the last part of her video – calls “liberation struggle”?

Gilmore calls liberation struggle place-based action. You fight where you stand, for your needs. Scale varies, but roots stay local. In Cova da Moura, residents organized against eviction. They formed study groups on colonialism, racism, EU borders. Debates built “pop-up universities.” This sparks consciousness. It forges radical dependency. You rely on each other for life. Solidarity remakes itself through talk and work. It’s deliberate, material. Not abstract. You create communities that sustain, not just survive.

1. The connection between “whiteness” and racism that Ruth Gilmore speaks about is that how racism is built into our capitalistic society, it’s more about the system being built for a specific group of race (whites). She states that capitalism won’t stop being racial capitalism if all the white people disappear, capitalism requires inequality and racism embeds it. Whiteness and racism is connected due to the historical factors to justify the treatment of people who weren’t white.
2. According to Gilmore the criminals are actually being created by the criminal justice system. There has to be a steady stream of criminals, there has to be a bigger group with longer sentences and other factors such as behaviours to get them to stay in jail longer, which can perpetuate itself. This is a way to get new criminals from the prison system from reentry from different factors. I do not agree with her, I believe there are other factors on why people are kept in jail and go to jail. 
3. At the end of the video she talks about liberation struggle, from what I understand is that there’s a struggle of peoples needs. The needs are being from housing and resources to have better opportunities. She wants a future where there’s a long term stability for people to feel safe and for her liberation means there’s a change instead of having these systems that keeps people unequal but should be uplifting from strong community schools, improving the justice system.

1. What is the connection between “whiteness” and racism?
   Gilmore suggests that whiteness plays a major role in racism because it has been treated as something valuable and protected. Over time, whiteness has shaped who gets opportunities and who gets excluded. Capitalism developed in ways that benefit white people more than others, making inequality part of the system. Racism is not accidental but built into laws and institutions. I think this explains why racial inequality still exists today.
2. How does the prison system create “criminals,” according to Gilmore? Do you agree?
   Gilmore argues that the criminal justice system produces criminals by over-policing certain communities. Small mistakes can turn into permanent criminal records that follow people for life. Once labeled a criminal, it becomes hard to get work or housing, which increases the risk of re-arrest. This system keeps repeating the same cycle instead of reducing harm. I agree with her because mass incarceration comes more from system design than individual behavior.
3. What is Gilmore’s idea of a “liberation struggle”?
   Gilmore uses the term “liberation struggle” to describe collective efforts to end systems of inequality. She believes liberation means more than prison reform; it means changing society itself. People need real access to education, housing, and resources to live safely. Punishment alone does not create justice or safety. Liberation, for her, is about replacing control with care and opportunity.

1. The idea of “whiteness” and racism, Ruth Gilmore expresses while speaking on capitalism in her video, are defined as tools, technology, or systems of differentiation and oppression developed to protect the social and economic interests of the elite. Capitalism requires inequality to cement itself, and racism guarantees it. By this framework provided by Gilmore, race is not a biological identity, but rather a hierarchy of vulnerability, where, through the creation of unequal groups, there is inevitable exploitation. Thus, we have capitalism/racial capitalism. “whiteness” in this discussion is defined as those who are at the top of this hierarchy and is defaulted as the basic human experience. Gilmore posits that capitalism and racism are not separate systems but are intertwined together competely, with each feeding off one another to establish what we have today.
2. Gilmore’s idea of criminality being perpetrated by the justice system is an inevitable conclusion. The system creates a cycle of criminality through several social mechanisms: people from economically marginalized communities are targeted, communities that are already impoverished through capitalism, and once a person goes through the system, their access to stable jobs, housing, and education is severely limited, if not destroyed. This then forces those formerly incarcerated into desperation, and they are then more likely to engage in criminal behavior that had gotten them into prison in the first place. The system itself creates its own supply of clients.
3. In the context of Gilmore’s work on abolition, the concept of liberation struggle is far more comprehensive than simply reforming or even closing prisons. It’s a fundamental, transformative effort to build a world where the conditions that necessitate prisons and policing do not exist. It involves creating a system that truly addresses areas of vulnerability, such as health care, public education, affordable housing, and especially our justice systems. The struggle is ultimately to fundamentally change a society built on competition to one built on social connection, care, and empathy.

1. Ruth Gilmore argues that whiteness is closely connected to racism because it has historically been treated as the norm and given advantages. Whiteness often comes with social, economic, and legal benefits that other groups do not receive. Because of this, capitalism in the U.S. has grown in ways that protect white people more than others. Racism becomes built into the system instead of being just personal prejudice. I think this connection exists because laws and institutions have long favored white communities over others.
2. Gilmore explains that the prison system creates “criminals” by targeting poor and racialized communities through heavy policing and harsh laws. Minor offenses can turn into lifelong labels once someone enters the system. After prison, people struggle to find jobs or housing, which increases the chance of being arrested again. This keeps people stuck in a cycle instead of helping them rebuild their lives. I agree with her because the system focuses more on punishment than solving the root causes of crime.
3. Gilmore’s idea of “liberation struggle”
   When Gilmore talks about a “liberation struggle,” she means fighting against systems that create inequality, especially the prison system. Liberation is not just about closing prisons but about building better conditions for people. This includes access to housing, education, healthcare, and stable jobs. She believes real safety comes from support, not punishment. A liberation struggle is about creating a society where people can live with dignity instead of fear.

Module 14.1

1.Dr. Gilmore made a point, arguing that capitalism will not stop being racial capitalism even if all white people were removed from the story (0:05:19). that defines the entire system. I interpret this to mean that the practices of racism, the way people are treated differently, who gets exploited, and who gets to own things (0:02:49) were built into capitalism right from the beginning; it’s an inherited structure. Because of this, the system absolutely requires inequality to function. Whiteness, then, isn’t the cause of racism in this framework, but the result of being on the side of the benefit in this structural relation.

2. Dr. Gilmore makes a powerful point: the criminal justice system and the Prison Industrial Complex (PIC) aren’t broken they are actually working exactly as designed by actively creating the category of the “criminal person.” I find this structural argument so clear when I think about how states, like California, have historically chosen to pour money into building more jails and prisons instead of funding new college campuses. That political choice shows control is prioritized over education or giving people a real chance. Gilmore argues this is necessary because the PIC is a massive economic system designed to concentrate wealth for powerful elites, meaning it requires a guaranteed “steady stream of criminals” to sustain its growth. The system expands criminalization and hands out harsher sentences to keep that stream flowing.

I agree with Dr. Gilmore, especially on the post release reality. By prioritizing the continuous construction of prisons over funding positive institutions like educational, community, or after school programs the state ensures that released inmates return to communities surrounded by systems of control, not support. They are actively blocked from stability; the “criminal” label prevents them from securing legitimate work and housing. This deliberate vulnerability forces people right back into the control apparatus, cementing their identity as the perpetually “criminal person”. It is compelling because it shows the whole system is engineered for control and perpetuity, not genuine justice or rehabilitation.

3. I think the idea of a liberation struggle is driven by communities that are already distressed, places that look less like safe neighborhoods and more like shelters built just for survival. Dr. Gilmore argues this struggle must be a creative, constant effort to build something totally new, moving past just playing defense. The first crucial step is getting conscious: people have to “come to consciousness” by studying the policies and history that created their vulnerability. The “pop up university” the Amadora community created to study colonialism is a perfect example of this. It gives people better understanding and potential opportunities for change, but it’s still not a guaranteed success because the systemic forces they are fighting are so powerful.

By Israt Kaniz Nipa

1. Whiteness and racism

From what I understood from Gilmore whiteness is connected to racism because it has been treated as the norm in society. It’s not just about skin color but about who the system is built for. When whiteness is seen as normal or invisible racism can exist without people always noticing it. This makes inequality feel natural even though it isn’t. So racism becomes part of how power and resources are distributed not just something people do on a personal level.

2. How the prison system creates “criminals”

Gilmore explains that the prison system helps create criminals instead of just responding to crime. I think this happens because once someone is arrested or incarcerated, that label follows them everywhere. Even after they serve their time it’s hard to get a job, housing or trust. Because of this many people end up stuck in the same cycle. I agree with her because it feels like the system makes it harder for people to move on which increases the chances they end up back in prison.

3. What “liberation struggle” means

When Gilmore talks about liberation struggle I understand it as fighting for deeper change not just fixing small problems. She’s saying real safety comes from supporting people before things go wrong. This means better access to education, housing, and stability instead of relying only on punishment. Liberation struggle is about creating a society where people actually have opportunities not just rules and punishments.

Ariel Durham

1. Capitalism is deemed racial because being white is treated as the one who deserves opportunities amongst everyone else. Racism keeps the hierarchy in place, which we see in today’s society. Ruth Gilmore believes that racial capitalism will end only when the standards stop being formed around “Whiteness”.

2. Ruth Gilmore argues that the system creates criminals. That is true and is paired with the cash bond system. Once you get a record, it affects your credit, jobs, and housing. There is no good path from when you’re released from prison and heading back into society, which ends up causing them to be back in the same situations and back incarcerated.

3. My understanding of “Liberation struggle ” is people in a cycle of trying to survive by working, school, or anything to better themselves to have livable conditions and needing resources and opportunities instead of being punished. However, if everyone works together, it will create better systems in which everyone can thrive.