In this episode, I'll be discussing the Netflix documentary 13th, which is a documentary about bringing awareness to racial inequality throughout the history of America. At the time of this recording, it is June 16th and on June 19th, we are celebrating Juneteenth. So in honor of Juneteenth, I'll be doing a series of the movie 13th. In part one, I'll be talking about the main points of the 13th amendment, which is the first topic of discussion in the movie 13th. So I recommend you guys stay until the end because I believe that bringing awareness to racial inequality throughout the history of America is a critical topic in this day and age.
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Right now, I want you guys to think of words that were described in talking about African Americans in the news. Think about that. How social media portrays African Americans in America. Just think about that for just a second. These words were used to create a "public scare," labeling black people in America as dangerous, criminals, and super predators. And these words that have been used for hundreds and hundreds of years progressed into what politicians would call "corrective actions." Think of the word "corrections" aka prisons. And now think about what the 13th amendment is. The 13th amendment of the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime. White supremacists wanted to "correct" the community by excluding black people and imprisoning them.
And with the 13th amendment abolishing slavery, the white supremacists thought that since they can no longer own slaves legally, we will create these laws called Jim Crow laws by segregating blacks and whites. Black people in America are trying to leave and breathe, and the police will arrest them just like that... To still have some type of control over black people in America. White supremacists had found a loophole in creating what is now considered modern-day slavery in our prison systems. Even with the 13th amendment in place to abolish slavery, black people in America were made to believe that were free, but in reality, they were never free.
The 13th amendment of the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime. White supremacists wanted to "correct" the community by excluding black people and imprisoning them. Exception for the punishment of crime. ..What is even considered criminal? Walking down the street with a hoodie on is considered criminal? All because of the words, the many words of many years, white supremacists and crooked politicians used to describe black people in America.
The movie "13th" calls BS to all those white people that say slavery is over with, and that we all need to forget about slavery and move on. In addition to saying that they have nothing to do with what their ancestors did years ago, they just turn a blind eye.
The beginning of the movie talks about how, just even if we have the 13th amendment, black people in America were never really free and never were free. And with slavery abolished, slavery had progressed in different ways that were considered legal, such as being punished for committing a crime. And this is why I call this episode "The 13th amendment loophole."
White supremacists were trying to find ways to control black people in America. The speakers in the documentary pointed out that even with the 13th amendment, it progressed into Jim Crow laws, "the war on drugs," police brutality, and more. Black people in America are still fighting for freedom. The movie "13th" highlights modern-day examples of how slavery in America still exists in the criminal justice system, such as police brutality and mass incarceration.
Racial inequality in America has been an ongoing issue for hundreds of years. So today and pretty much every single day, not just black history month, not just Juneteenth... We all need to call BS on getting over slavery and fight for our human rights.
More to be discussed in part 2…
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