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Introduction xiii per their design and societal demands. He explores how we then concep- tualize what is happening in society as it relates to the linkages between education and criminal injustice. And he asks, how do we account for the enduring racial divide in the American educational and justice systems as well as in the broader society? Chapter 4, “What Do You Know about My Black Son? A Counternar- rative That Challenges the Deficit Perspective,” by Traci P. Baxley, issues a call to action to educators of black male youth specifically, but also to edu- cators of students of all colors as well. It asks educators to reflect on their practices and their personal perceptions of black males. This narrative uses the experiences of the author’s own sons, specifically Tyler, a highly intelligent, highly energetic, caring soul. As a black feminist, however, she recognizes and acts on her duty as an “othermother” to black sons every- where. The narrative in this chapter serves as both a personal and cultural counternarrative to reeducate those who misjudge, mistreat, misdiagnose, misunderstand, marginalize, and malign the community’s brown and black sons. Baxley chose to write the chapter as a letter to the teacher of her son. Although it is written with her son in mind, the scenario is universal. Boys of color, specifically black males, are not afforded the same opportunities as their white counterparts and fall prey to the de facto discrimination present in today’s educational and justice systems. Black males struggle to attain a constructive identity in public school institutions. They are often ignored or excluded from the traditional educational process due to the lack of cultural presence in the content and the lack of cultural com- petency of policy makers, curricula developers, and educators. How can educators understand and nurture black boys? How can educators engage brown and black boys in learning that is relevant and rigorous? How can educators assist and encourage black males to reach their full potential? These are the questions that Baxley poses. In chapter 5, “Three Louisiana Floods: Cases of Genocide?” Teresa A. Booker explores three Louisiana floods and asks whether the response to each reflects the worst possible outcome on the intergroup-relations continuum—genocide. Specifically, Booker determines that genocide did not occur during Hurricane Katrina according to an international under- standing of both the term and the process. Moreover, since there have been not one but three hundred-year storms in less than one hundred years, this chapter will not only examine Hurricane Katrina (2005) but the Mississippi Flood of 1927 and Hurricane Betsy (1965) as well. Next, Martin and Fasching-Varner comment on a policing strategy that has gained popularity in the post-Katrina era. In chapter 6, “Can You Hear Me Now? Race, Call-ins, and the Myth of Public Accountability,” the