Recently, I was on a panel that read and examined Yusef Salaam’s Punching the Air. And given that it is Social Justice week at Pace University I feel it appropriate and very important to discuss parts of the book. While many are familiar with Yusef Salaam’s name as well as the names Korey Wise, Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, and Raymond Santana of the Exonerated Five, formerly known as the Central Park Five. Salaam published Punching the Air this year, a novel written in verse form which alludes to his circumstance involving the infamous jogger case and his wrongful conviction.
The readers follow the story of Amal Shahid, a black teen, at the beginning of his trial where he is convicted of a crime he did not commit- the violent act against a white teen named Jeremy Mathis. The readers also see how the prison system breaks Amal and makes him lose his sense of self but in a way helps him to find his truth through his art and a connection to his ancestry.
There is insight into the institutional racism of the American judicial system. Demonstrated in the trial, when white people who don’t know Amal testify to his character and what is most shocking is his teacher, Mrs. Rinaldi, stating, in the poem “Anger Management,” “that’s why I worked so hard with Amal to channel his anger into art” furthering the idea that she never really saw who Amal was and never saw his artwork for what it was but rather in that statement painted him to the jury as an angry black man whose unchanneled anger is a reason for his possible physical aggression. Also, the prison guard, with his tattoo of a black baby being hung on his arm, is a symbol of racism within institutions- not only is he able to instill fear into Amal but it begs the question why people who perpetuate racism are able to work in places where such prejudice can’t and shouldn’t exist. The author discusses the fact of bias and prejudice in the judicial system, more specifically the bias and prejudice against people of color. And shows the truth of the justice system that so many put blind trust into, instead of questioning the actual motives and intent of the system itself.
Another part of the book which I had never really given much thought to were the connections that Salaam makes between the American prison system and the American education system. I think two strong quotes that show these connections are in the poems “New ID” and “Pipeline,” “I memorize my inmate number, my crime, my time [and] I forget my school ID number, my top three colleges, my class schedule” and “it’s not a classroom, it’s a cell block it’s not a restroom, it’s open stalls and showers…If I squint I almost can’t tell the difference,” respectively. The comparison is almost frightening in a way that makes an individual think about how the American education system actually educates its students and what could be changed to create a more life sustaining knowledge base.
I don’t want to spoil too much of the book, as it is a must read and a great way to educate the mind.