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Ava DuVernay’s ’13th’ Schools the Children on the Journey from Shackles to Prison Bars

Ava DuVernay’s ’13th’ Schools the Children on the Journey from Shackles to Prison Bars

“People say all the time, ‘I don’t understand how people could’ve tolerated slavery. How could that have made peace with that? How could people have gone to a lynching and participated in that? How did people make sense of the segregation? That’s so crazy. If I was living at that time I would have never tolerated anything like that.’

“And the truth is, we are living it at this time, and we are tolerating it.”

These are the final words of Ava DuVernay’s documentary 13th, spoken by  Bryan Stevenson. They are powerful, and eye-opening. They are a punch in the gut for America — for good reason.

13th is a Netflix masterpiece, which every person should watch before they cast their vote on November 8 — or sooner if you’re sending your ballot through the mail this year or taking advantage of early voting.

Hinging on 13th Amendment, the film focuses on the prison system and the economic forces behind racism in America. For most, it is an eye-opening look at the way our leaders abolished slavery but in doing so found ways to keep black bodies shackled, and how we continually allow these things to happen.

For those that don’t know, the 13th Amendment of the constitution reads:

“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

Honestly, it doesn’t sound like a film that would hold the attention of many Netflixers. But DuVernay navigates the storyline flawlessly, delivering a cinematic masterpiece that is as relevant as it could ever be with Black Lives Matter taking over our newsfeeds, and the election focusing on prison reform and mass incarceration.

Written by DuVernay and Spencer Averick, the documentary seamlessly navigates through the history of black people in America from slavery, to Jim Crow, to Birth of a Nation, to the civil-rights movement, to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, to the war on drugs. It’s a lot to cram into the hour and 40 minutes the film runs, especially since this isn’t the history lessons we all learned in school.

The documentary dives deep into the social and criminal constructs that continue to keep people of color down, and essentially still a slave. It weaves its way through the tangled web of policy, politics, racism, and even capitalism. It’s a lot to take in, but packed with information that doesn’t bore the viewers — thanks in large part to the people featured in the film.

DuVernay’s documentary is a provocative a mix of archival footage and testimonies from activists, politicians, and historians, whose expertise is undeniable. The music and special effects in the film help transition from one injustice to another.

From the start, 13th is captivating and educational. 

For Coloradans, this riveting documentary is a must see before voting on Amendment T, which sits on this year’s ballot. Amendment T would remove the last allowance for slavery in the Colorado constitution, and will read:

“Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution concerning the removal of the exception to the prohibition of slavery and involuntary servitude when used as punishment for persons duly convicted of a crime?”

Currently, the Colorado Constitution on the matter is the exact same as the 13th Amendment of the Constitution. As mass incarceration greatly affects people of color, advocates are fighting for change.

Jumoke Emery, a community organizer who has been a major force behind getting the amendment on the ballot, put it this way to 9News:

“It sits in my belly as disgusting that we live in a state, in a nation, that would ascribe to slavery under any circumstances. No one is a slave, regardless of mistakes that you have made or crimes you have been convicted of. In this country, in the land of the free, no one is a slave, ever, for any reason.”

If Amendment T passes, Colorado’s constitution would read, simply: “There shall never be in this state either slavery or involuntary servitude.”

Amendment T passed the Colorado House and Senate unanimously and was referred to the ballot.

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