Institutionally sanctioned slavery -- the war on drugs.

The idea of intersectionality, particularly when we're talking about an issue as complex as the imprisonment of African Americans in the U.S. Criminal "Justice" system is one I keep in mind when doing readings like Alexander's.  Though much of her argument regards how race impacts incarceration, I think she would acknowledge (but could be wrong) that race is incredibly difficult to completely isolate as a category of analysis from gender and/or class.  As you pointed out, it is black males who are disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs and the criminal justice system.  Alexander says at one point that "one in three young African American men is currently under the control of the criminal justice system--in prison, in jail, on probation, or on parole..." (9).  Later in her introduction, Alexander acknowledges that, in order to present the clearest argument, she hasn't included the experience of African American women (16).  If anyone is interested in a book that does this, you should read Inside This Place, Not of It: Narratives from Women's Prisons.  I could certainly be remembering incorrectly as I don't have the book with me, but I remember the authors citing statistics that women were the fastest growing population in prisons in recent years.  Of course, women are still imprisoned at rates far below men, and both genders have different experiences once inside the criminal justice system.  It's really difficult for me to understand exactly how various factors impact incarceration, and I'm sure I'll continue to grapple with these issues throughout the semester.