1. “Whiteness” is linked to racism because it has historically meant power and privilege. This setup favored white people and disadvantaged others, leading to unfair systems like slavery and segregation. Even today, “whiteness” can unconsciously cause discrimination and unequal opportunities, keeping racial divides alive. White views are often seen as the norm, pushing other perspectives to the side.
2. Gilmore says prisons make new “criminals” because they do many different actions such as labelling. By calling someone a criminal, which makes it hard for them to get jobs or fit in, it pushes them to commit more crimes. Many people released from prison struggle to find jobs and support, so they may return to crime to survive. The system also often targets poor areas for minor offenses, leading to more arrests and prison time for poor people. With all these facts, I agree with her. These points show how the prison system can make the problem worse.
3. Gilmore sees “liberation struggle” as a broad effort to dismantle oppressive systems and create a more just society by transforming structures, promoting collective action, and envisioning a long-term, equitable future. It’s an ongoing process of resistance and transformation.

1. 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?

According to Ruth Gilmore, she asserts that capitalism is built off of inequality and racism in the tool that is used in order to keep that system in place. Hence when she shared “Capitalism requires inequality, and racism enshrines it.” When Gilmore states “capitalism will stop being racial capitalism, when all the white people disappear from the story”, she is referring to white people being taken out of the discussion, not necessarily anyone specific. She’s emphasizing how much the system is designed to uphold abstraction of whiteness. The system of racial capitalism is designed to work against certain groups of people, particularly those who are not white. In reality, whiteness serves as a safeguard to preserve the socioeconomic status of white people. Although a white person may not be racist, they still benefit from it.

2.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?

Ruth Gilmore argues that the prison system creates new “criminals. For instance, this happens when communities that are impoverished, usually communities with a larger population of people of color are over observed. Said people are more prone to face harsh penalties, even for minor instances. Perpetuating the stereotype that people of color are a danger or a threat to society. Down the line, this leads to a cycle where being identified or perceived as a criminal will make it difficult to obtain employment or housing. Which can transpire into other challenges, for those previously incarcerated. Increasing the chance of recidivism. I do agree with Ruth Gilmore’s view because statistics and real life both show that people from specific communities are incarcerated at higher rates and face harsher penalties because they’re more likely to be targeted. I’m sure people from upscale neighborhoods are doing the same thing or even worse, but they’re just not getting caught or they’re getting a slap on the wrist.

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

When Ruth Gilmore discusses the “liberation struggle”I understand her to be referring to advocating for freedom and fairness. Especially for people who have been victims of systemic injustice. Gilmore emphasizes that we need to focus on helping one another and constructing a better world, not just focusing on the scrutiny. Devoting efforts to your community like advocacy for prison reform, housing access-stability-and equity, and employment opportunities.

1. Gilmore is saying that racism isn’t just about individual hate , it’s built into systems that give white people advantages, even if they don’t ask for them. When she says capitalism will stop being racial capitalism only when white people disappear from the story, she means the whole system is set up in a way that centers and protects whiteness. So, racism sticks around because “whiteness” is used to divide people, justify inequality, and keep certain groups in power. As long as that system stays, racism does too.
2. Gilmore says that people aren’t born “criminals” — they’re labeled that way by a system that targets certain communities (especially poor and nonwhite ones). The system keeps locking people up, even for small things, and once you’re in the system, it’s hard to get out. Having a record makes it harder to find a job or housing, so people are pushed into situations where they might get arrested again. The system creates a cycle. I agree with her, a lot of people end up in prison not because they’re dangerous, but because they were set up to fail. And once you’re labeled a criminal, it follows you everywhere.
3. When Gilmore talks about “liberation struggle,” I think she means fighting for freedom in a deeper way — not just freedom from jail, but freedom from systems that trap people in poverty, racism, and violence. It’s about changing the whole setup so that people have what they need to live such as housing , education, healthcare, and safety — without being punished for just trying to survive. Liberation means building a world where people don’t need prisons at all.
   
   

1. Gilmore says capitalism won’t stop being racial capitalism even “if all the white people disappear from the story.” What’s the connection between “whiteness” and racism, do you think?

According to Ruth Wilson Gilmore, the connection between whiteness and racism isn’t just about skin color or individuals who identify as white—it’s about a system. “Whiteness” here refers to a social position of power that developed historically through the structures of capitalism and colonialism. Over time, those in power created the idea of race to justify exploiting others, and whiteness became a symbol of dominance, entitlement, and protection under the law and economy.

Gilmore is making a powerful point: racism doesn’t need individual white people to function. Even if every white person were removed from the picture, the system itself would still produce inequality and division through racial hierarchies. That’s because capitalism depends on difference—it needs some people to be treated as less valuable, less deserving, or more punishable, in order to maintain power and profit for others.

In short, “whiteness” is not just a skin tone—it’s a position that gets defined and redefined over time to keep inequality in place. And racism is the mechanism that keeps that system running. That’s why Gilmore says we can’t end racism without confronting and dismantling capitalism itself.

2. Gilmore says “the category of ‘criminal person’ can be perpetuated.” How does the prison system create new “criminals”? Do you agree with her view?

Gilmore argues that the prison system doesn’t just punish existing criminals—it actually produces them. Here’s how:

• Expansion of criminal laws: More behaviors are labeled as crimes, especially those linked to poverty, race, or survival—like loitering, trespassing, or drug use.
  
• Longer sentences and harsher punishments: People get stuck in the system for longer, making it harder to reenter society.
  
• Cycle of criminalization: Once someone is labeled a criminal, society treats them differently—jobs are harder to find, housing is restricted, voting rights may be taken. This increases the chance they’ll be arrested again.
  
• Constant supply of “eligible” people: The system relies on having a steady flow of bodies to incarcerate, which means communities—especially Black, Brown, and poor communities—are constantly surveilled and targeted.
  

So in Gilmore’s view, the system needs people to be criminalized in order to justify its own existence. It’s not just reacting to crime—it’s manufacturing it through policy, policing, and economic inequality.

I personally agree with her analysis. When you look at who fills prisons in the U.S., it’s overwhelmingly people from marginalized backgrounds. Many are there for non-violent offenses or simply because they’re poor. That tells us the system isn’t just about justice it’s about control and profit. If we want to stop this cycle, we have to rethink how we define “crime” and who gets labeled as a criminal in the first place.

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

At the end of the video, Prof. Gilmore talks about “liberation struggle” as something that is deeply local, place-based, and rooted in real people’s lives. It’s not just about big slogans or national movements—it starts with people organizing in their communities to fight for dignity, safety, and freedom. She gives the example of Cova da Moura in Lisbon, where people built their own homes and resisted being displaced by the city government. Their fight wasn’t just about houses—it was about preserving their community, identity, and autonomy.

Liberation, in Gilmore’s view, means creating the conditions where people can live freely and fully, with access to resources, care, education, and safety. It’s about undoing systems that treat people as disposable—like prisons, racist policing, or economic abandonment—and replacing them with structures that support life, culture, and mutual support.

She also sees solidarity as essential to liberation. That means we can’t just care about our own struggles—we have to connect with others, listen, and learn together. She calls this “radical dependency”—understanding that we need each other, and that liberation is something we build with others, not just for ourselves.

So liberation struggle is both a political fight and a communal, emotional, and spiritual one. It’s about transforming the conditions of life so that people can not only survive, but thrive—together.

1 Ruth Gilmore states that “whiteness” can’t be separated from racism since, throughout history, whiteness has been utilized as an instrument of control and domination. Whiteness is not merely a racial identity—it’s a class, political, and social location of privilege. Whiteness is what determines in racial capitalism who gets the goods, guards, and favors. So when Gilmore says racial capitalism won’t exist when white people are removed from the equation, she is saying that whiteness needn’t continue to be the norm or the center of power. The metaphor is that for as long as whiteness continues to hold power, racism will continue to exist as part of the system.

2 The prison system criminalizes specific groups—Black and poor people, specifically—according to Gilmore, as threats. This stigma generates exaggerated surveillance, over-policing, and incarceration for minor or insignificant crimes. Once a person is in the system, it becomes harder to lead a normal life as they have less access to jobs, housing, or education. This makes it more likely to return to prison despite the desire of people to transform for the better. The system creates the behavior that it is supposedly trying to exclude. I agree with her because the data of mass incarceration show us that neighborhoods are punished and targeted, not helped, and that the system ensnares people in poverty and prison cycles.

3 Gilmore defines “liberation struggle” as a movement to free people from oppressive systems like racism, capitalism, and mass incarceration. It is not just a matter of overturning legislation or closing prisons—it is building a world where people truly have access to safety, opportunity, and dignity. It is freedom from addressing the root causes of harm and injustice so that people are no longer criminalized for being poor or marginalized. It is structuring society so that punishment systems are no longer needed.

1. Ruth Gilmore argues that capitalism becomes racial capitalism when it’s built on racial inequalities specifically, when people of color are exploited for profit. She says capitalism will stop being racial when white people are no longer removed from the narrative and we honestly acknowledge how whiteness has been protected and privileged. The connection between “whiteness” and racism, I think, is that whiteness is often treated as the default or ideal, which helps hide how certain systems harm people of color more harshly. Racism isn’t just about personal beliefs it’s built into economic and political systems.

2. Gilmore makes the point that our criminal justice system creates criminals rather than just responding to crime. She says that certain people mostly poor and people of color are treated as if they’re naturally criminal. The system labels them that way through over-policing, surveillance, and harsh sentencing. Once someone is labeled a criminal, it sticks with them, even after prison. I do agree with her. It’s not just about who commits crimes, but about who gets punished and how society defines crime in the first place. A rich person can commit fraud and get a slap on the wrist, while a poor person can be jailed for survival actions.

3. When Prof. Gilmore talks about “liberation struggle,” I think she means the ongoing fight to end the systems that harm marginalized communities especially the prison system. It’s not just about getting rid of prisons, but about building a society where people have what they need: education, housing, healthcare, and safety. Liberation struggle is about creating justice in every part of life, so people don’t get trapped in cycles of poverty and punishment.

Ruth Wilson Gilmore argues that capitalism has always been racial capitalism, meaning that race has been used as a tool to organize labor, value, and power, with “whiteness” occupying the top tier of this hierarchy. Whiteness, in this context, isn’t just about skin color but about social and economic privilege historically afforded to certain groups. This constructed idea of whiteness has been used to justify exploitation, like slavery, segregation, colonialism, and ongoing economic disparities.

So, the connection between whiteness and racism is systemic: whiteness functions as a standard of privilege, and racism is the mechanism that enforces and protects that standard. Gilmore suggests that even if the people benefiting from the system change racially over time, the structure can still function in a racist way, because the system doesn’t need actual white people to uphold the ideology of whiteness.

According to Gilmore, the prison system doesn’t just punish crime—it actively manufactures and reinforces the category of “criminal”. This happens in several ways:

• Targeting marginalized communities with over-policing, often in poor or racialized neighborhoods.
• Limiting opportunities for education, employment, and housing after incarceration makes it harder for people to reintegrate.
• Labeling individuals as criminals permanently through records and stigmas can trap them in cycles of surveillance and punishment.

In Gilmore’s view, these systems do not correct behavior but create a class of people permanently marked as deviant, often based more on their social and economic position than on any actual harm caused.

My agreement depends on whether one views crime as mainly an individual moral failing or as a social outcome shaped by inequality. Gilmore’s argument is powerful because it shifts the focus from personal blame to systemic responsibility.

Gilmore defines liberation struggle as a community-based movement aimed not just at tearing down oppressive systems like prisons, but at building alternatives that allow people to thrive. This means:

• Investing in education, housing, healthcare, and jobs.
• Creating spaces where people have real opportunities to live safely and with dignity.
• Moving away from punishment and control, and toward care and mutual support.

Ruth Wilson Gilmore points out that capitalism will only stop being about race when all white people are gone from the picture. This shows how much being white is linked to having power and privilege in a system that treats nonwhite people unfairly. Being white isn’t just about race; it’s also about having a better social and economic position that has taken advantage of others. Racism isn’t just about personal bias; it’s a system that keeps white people in charge through money differences, policing, and stories that make whiteness seem normal. So, whiteness and racism are connected because the benefits of being white come at the expense of Black and Brown communities. Gilmore wants us to think about a future where being white isn’t the main focus in politics, money, and justice.

Gilmore believes that the prison system doesn’t just keep criminals locked away; it actually helps create the idea of what a ‘criminal’ is. This happens because certain rules and actions unfairly target poor and nonwhite communities, often punishing behaviors that come from being poor or ignored by society. Once someone is called a criminal, they face unfair treatment in jobs, housing, and schools, making it harder for them to get back on their feet and more likely to end up back in prison. This cycle makes it look like some people are just born to be criminals, but really, the system is making it hard for them to succeed. I agree with Gilmore because it shows that the problem isn’t just the people, but the unfair systems that create inequality, and it highlights that mass incarceration is more about controlling society than delivering justice.

In the last part of her video, Professor Gilmore talks about the ‘liberation struggle’ as a long-term team effort to build a society based on care, fairness, and justice instead of punishment and exploitation. She explains that liberation means not just tearing down unfair systems like prisons and police, but also creating new options that help people succeed, like good housing, education, healthcare, and jobs that matter. It’s about fixing the real reasons for harm instead of just punishing the effects. This kind of struggle needs creativity, teamwork, and the hope that we can create a better world. Gilmore’s idea of liberation is really positive because it’s not only about fighting back—it’s about making new things and focusing on life instead of control and punishment.

1.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?

-According to scholar Ruth Gilmore, “whiteness” plays an important part in the foundations of racism under capitalism since it decides who gains access to social, political, and economic structures. “Whiteness” functions as a measure of privilege and exclusion, deciding who is shielded and who is left behind by the government. Based on this perspective, racism includes both systemic benefits given to people who are seen as “white” and personal bias. So capitalism will continue to be racialized as long as ‘whiteness’ is a concept with real advantages. Removing ‘whiteness’ from the narrative would mean tearing down these systems of privilege and discrimination.

2.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?

-According to Gilmore, the jail system builds new ‘criminals’ by classifying people as ‘criminal persons,’ which devalues them and limits their upon release options. Rehabilitation into society is made harder by this tag, which often results in relapse. Therefore, rather than addressing the true causes of crime, the system presents the classification of “criminal.” I share her opinion since research suggests that social and economic problems commonly force formerly imprisoned people to reenter the system.

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

Prof. Gilmore defines “liberation struggle” as a public, continuing attempt to break free from cruel institutions and structures. It involves managed, long-term activities that aim to change society rather than merely single acts of resistance. The conditions and circumstances which people encounter are specific to the liberation struggle, which include both opposing injustice and creating possibilities. According to Gilmore, the starting point of the fight is belief and trust that change is reachable. It’s an action that calls for creativity, perseverance, and unity.

1. What’s the connection between “whiteness” and racism, do you think?

Whiteness is not just a racial identity-it is a historically constructed system of dominance, forged in the crucible of colonialism, slavery, and capitalist exploitation. When Ruth Wilson Gilmore says that racial capitalism will end “when all the white people disappear from the story,” she is not talking about individuals vanishing; she’s talking about dismantling the power structure that upholds whiteness as the default, the norm, the center of economic and social value. Whiteness, in this framework, is the ideological backbone of racial capitalism-it rationalizes inequality by rendering white lives visible, grievable, and worthy, while invisibilizing or criminalizing everyone else. Racism, then, is not simply prejudice-it is the systematized reinforcement of white supremacy through law, culture, and violence. Whiteness is the pivot around which racism organizes itself. Until we displace whiteness from the center of political, cultural, and economic life-until it is no longer the unspoken metric of legitimacy and humanity-racism will not die. Gilmore’s insight challenges us to go beyond representation and surface-level inclusion. It demands a radical reordering of the world.

2. According to Gilmore, how does the prison system create new “criminals”? Do you agree with her view?

The prison-industrial complex doesn’t just manage crime-it manufactures it. Ruth Gilmore is clear: the system produces the very people it claims to contain. Through racist policing, economic abandonment, and state neglect, entire communities-particularly black, brown, poor, and immigrant communities-are set up to be criminalized. The system doesn’t chase harm; it chases bodies it has already marked as disposable. It criminalized survival: skipping fares, selling loosies, defending oneself, being poor, being angry, being black, being undocumented, being alive in a system built to punish you for it. Once branded as “criminal,” a person is locked into a permanent underclass. The violence of incarceration follows them long after their sentence ends: housing discrimination, employment bans, voter disenfranchisement, surveillance. The criminal label becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. And prisons, bloated by public dollars and private contracts, grow fat on that perpetual recycling of human beings.

Yes, I agree with Gilmore. Prisons are not failing-they are doing exactly what they were designed to do: to manage the consequences of inequality without challenging its causes. They are warehouses for the people this system has decided it doesn’t need-until it needs them in cages.

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

Liberation struggle, as Gilmore lays it out, is not about improving the conditions of our oppression-it’s about obliterating the structures that make oppression possible in the first place. It is abolitionist at its core: not just the abolition of prisons, but of the carceral logic that permeates every institution that governs our lives-schools, borders, welfare, medicine, policing. Liberation struggle is life-affirming. It is grounded in the belief that another world is not only possible but already being built by organizers, educators, and freedom fighters. It means fighting for housing, clean water, food justice, free education, and the right to thrive. It means standing in solidarity with Palestinians resisting genocide, with Indigenous people defending the Earth, with migrants resisting borders, and with queer and trans communities claiming space and safety. It is not enough to critique the system-we must dismantle it and replace it with something better. Liberation is not charity or reform. It is the uncompromising pursuit of dignity, autonomy, and justice for all people, especially those whom this world tries to erase.