Reflection On The Movie 13th

Since the United States’ inception, the negative stereotypes and generalizations of African Americans have been some of the worst examples of racism that has been extremely prevalent in American culture. African American stereotypes date back all the way to colonial American times, where African American slavery was considered to be accepted and practiced. Since then, black people in America have been treated horribly for stereotypes that have deep roots in the mistreatment of black people in American history.

Ava DuVernay’s documentary, 13th, is a powerful analysis of the 13th Amendment included in the United States Constitution. Released October 7th, 2016, 13th depicts African Americans, even after the abolishment of slavery, as legally exploited through the 13th amendment. The goal of the documentary seems to strongly portray to its viewers the manipulation of politics at the expense of Blacks, yet again. 13th effectively demonstrates the struggles African Americans face in the arms of the criminal justice system in a powerful and emotion-provoking manner.

Racism throughout time has had a powerful negative force in society. There have been many efforts made to relieve racism. Racism is still present in America, although many people are doing their best to put a stop to racism and its somewhat devastating effects on young black males in society. “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” (Lee) The negative stereotypes and racial profiling that Americans hand down from generation to generation are damaging not only to the minorities but to those perpetuating them as well. The behaviors that are kept alive because of these negative stereotypes and the behaviors associated with them, create an emotional and social struggle as well as presenting obstacles when receiving an education and employment opportunities.

We are affected in many ways based on race and social status. It is how we over come these challenges, that makes us who we are. The question is what is wrong with black? I read an essay by Langston Hughes in which he breaks down the use of the word black. This essay provides the idea of how the word black creates a negative impression of African Americans. I found this essay rather interesting and biased in some cases, but it is an essay I feel everyone should read. In this essay he uses explains what the word black really means and the negative connotation that is sometimes attached to it. He stated how(709-710)”white folks have done used that word to mean something bad so often until now when the N.A.A.C.P. asks for civil rights for

Stereotypes seem to be very present in our country, especially stereotypes towards African-Americans. For the longest time, like it has been instilled as a fact in my brain, black people have been directly related to the words “ghetto” or “hood”. I don’t remember a time where I actually can remember the words “ghetto” or “hood” without the picture in my mind of an African-American person. I think that this is a big problem in today’s society because it is not true but still seems to be taught. In politics, society, and everyday life, it feels like African-American’s are being slammed for being hoodlums. This is a problem because there are millions of African-American people who do not fit this stereotype, but still get degraded and treated badly because of this age old belief.

African American stereotypes are generalizations about the behavior of African Americans originated mainly in American culture and derived from how slave owners used to view slaves. African American stereotypes allow someone from getting to know a person their self. If someone has one bad interaction with an African American, they will limit their

The film The 13th, written by Ava Duvernay , based on the Thirteenth Amendment and explores the intersection of race, justice and mass incarnation in the United States. The Thirteenth Amendment formally abolished slavery however, the film talks about the amendments exception clause. This states that slavery is illegal except as a punishment for a crime. Duvernays documentary gives us a compelling view on how the modern-day prison/labor system relates to slavery and is framed by the Black Live Matter movement.

African-Americans are the primary race being treated poorly. Throughout history, African Americans have gone through many hardships with being slaves and although slavery was abolished African Americans were still not granted their full freedom and they continued to be segregated from other races. African Americans hold many negative stereotypes most of which are not true. Due to these negative stereotypes, African Americans are most likely to be targeted by police and many other people for committing crimes. This is called racial profiling, and it is an issue going on around us.

justice system on the black community. The film opens with the harrowing statics spoken by

The irritating, influential, and overwhelming documentary was directed by Ava DuVernay (Samito, 2015). While the documentary shakes the audience, it challenges their concepts regarding race intersection, mass incarceration in the U.S. and justice. It is a subject matter that sounds less cinematic. It has been increasingly difficult to separate Ava DuVernay filmmaking from her activism (Gray, Palmiotti, Archer & Guzman, 2007). The 13th is a timely movie just as Black Lives Matter protest and the presidential election that was imminent.

In America, African Americans have historically been othered by law, and continued to othered today in practice. This form of racial othering has been in effect before the country formed and was affirmed by the Constitution and Jim Crow laws. In the media, the power and status of African Americans is reduced in in films or books like Birth of a Nation and the news with situations like protests. The price of a college education and the justice system have created huge structural disadvantages for African Americans in the post-civil rights era.

The movie starts by stating that one in four black men will serve in prison at least once in their lives (Duvernay).This immediately clues the viewer into what this documentary will be talking about, at least on a surface level. Most of the movie is filled with interviews from experts on the prison system in America from liberal activists to republican conservatives, all have something to say about imprisonment in America and very little of it is good. The movie recaps the struggle colored people have endured throughout their lives in America from the early days of slavery, to the days of Jim Crowe and finally to modern day prison life and how it is just another form of slavery. One of the main focuses of the film is that the great and might Thirteenth Amendment that freed the slaves and made them American citizens also contains a loophole that strips them of these very rights. The amendment contains a small snippet about how no man may be stripped of his rights except when charged as a criminal (Duvernay). This simple exceptional clause acts as the only way to currently enslave another human being in America, convict them and put them away so you can own their body and soul for life. This clause is where the movie gets it’s name Thirteenth. There isn’t much else to say about the movie without giving away too much, despite being a documentary this movie contains heavy emotional

One hundred years following the Civil War, a major war between the northern and southern states on if black people should be enslaved for labor on farms or not. You would think that after the Union Army won the war that they would’ve established to the southern states what freedoms that the black people would have received after all the fighting they did for black people's individual rights and for the common good of America, which was allowing every citizen of the United States to gain the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Union even set up three new amendments in the Constitution to support the freedoms of blacks, including the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments, guaranteeing their right to not be a slave, to vote, and and to be an American citizen.("Amendments of the Constitution." Call to Freedom: Beginnings to 1914) However, the confederation wasn’t ready to give up on their legacy. Even after the dissolvement of the confederate army, former leaders and radicalists created the KKK and other activist groups to keep moving the southern states back to a state of segregation.

The African American experience is one that is quite different from other racial/ ethnic groups. The majority of the first African American came over, unwillingly, on ships from various African countries. They were brought to America by white, European settlers to be used as slaves in an order to plant and harvest their crops and make money for the white man. This racial group was treated as if they were property and not people. However, with the ending of the American Civil War, African Americans gained freedom, freedom that not all white American were quite ready to handle. After gaining their freedom came the need for education, jobs and suffrage rights. Now in America this racial group has come a long way, having elected its first African American present for two terms, yet still there are many issues that are very prevalent. This racial group has been fighting their way to equality since the birth of this nation. African Americans have experienced an array of conflict, violence, stereotypes, prejudice acts, and discrimination against them throughout their history in America.

The documentary we watched, 13th, was a thought-provoking film over the abuses that black people have faced since the onset of America through modern day. While the film does have its merits, I am having a hard time critically reflecting upon this in a constructive way that involves proper structure of an essay and the like, so I would like to reflect upon this in a way that logically follows how I feel about the subject. On that note, I would like to begin with my problem with the documentary.