Most people would say slavery was abolished in 1865. “13th,” a new documentary on Netflix, will make you think otherwise. Directed by Ava DuVernay, the documentary details how since the abolition of slavery, a loophole in the 13th amendment has been exploited over the past century and a half leading to the mass incarceration of African Americans.
“13th” begins by putting the incarceration rate of African Americans into historical context. It explores the use of the term “except as punishment as a crime” in the 13th amendment throughout history. I learned ex-slave holders used this loophole after abolition to incarcerate ex-slaves for minor crimes, then use them as free labor. When that became unacceptable, the government adopted segregation. And when that became unacceptable, they launched the “war on drugs,” which targeted, and still targets, black communities.
I’ll admit, before watching “13th,” I knew our country had a problem of over-incarceration, but I didn’t know the full scope of the problem. As a white woman, I may never truly understand what it’s like to be systematically oppressed, but this documentary lent me perspective. And sometimes perspective is enough to spark a movement for change. “13th” left me fired up over the atrocities our country has and still is committing.
Documentaries sometimes get a reputation for being biased, but “13th” provides both sides of the issue. You get commentary from white and black activists and Democrat and Republican politicians. It also doesn’t blame one political party. It talks about Republicans Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan’s “war on drugs,” and how it targeted black communities. However, it also shows how Bill Clinton, a Democrat, continued the systematic oppression with his “three strikes you’re out” policy.
“13th” also presents visual evidence of violence against African Americans so you can see it with your own eyes and make your own judgments. It shows videos of riots and shootings and pictures of lynched and beaten bodies. It plays an interview with an African American boy who was convicted of a crime he did not commit. I was hit with shock and sadness to be told he later committed suicide.
The pictures and videos are paired with hard numbers, leaving the logic hard to argue with. It depicts how drastically the prison population went from 357,292 in 1970 to 2,306,200 in 2014. My jaw literally dropped when I saw the rate went from 759,100 in 1985 to 1,179,200 in 1990. I found out there was even more to it; 6.5 percent of the US population is black, but African Americans account for 40.2 percent of the prison population. 1 in 17 white men has a chance of being incarcerated in his lifetime, but if you’re a black man, you have a 1 in 3 chance. It’s obvious something is not right.
“13th” also does a great job of using phrases and analogies to compare the past and present. It uses the word “criminal” over and over to emphasize how African Americans are seen as criminals by the public. Tapes of the race riots from the 60s are juxtaposed with current black lives matter demonstrations. A chilling tape plays of Richard Nixon calling for “law and order” next to a tape of Donald Trump calling for “law and order.”
The end nearly brought me to tears. All the names and videos of the young black men killed by police officers appear on the screen. With the rise of the black live matter movement, many politicians are now calling for the end of over-incarceration. However, “13th” warns that whenever reform has happened in history, the racism manifested as something new. Bryan Stevenson, one of the speakers, states people often ask how we could let slavery and lynching happen, but he makes the point something eerily similar is happening right now.
I would recommend “13th” to every American. With an election nearing, it’s so relevant to what’s going on in the news. It puts current racial tensions into perspective, and brings discrimination into light where you may have not noticed before.
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