Feelings on the 13th Documentary

By Savanna White

In her film 13th, Ava DuVernay paints an image of racism and slavery that still exist in America today.  Even if the constitution prohibits it, the 13th emphasizes the extent of the pain that slavery can inflict. The 13th amendment to the American constitution, which made slavery a criminal offense, left gaps that DuVernay analyzes. She uses various examples from everyday life to illustrate how racism has affected people's thoughts. DuVernay speaks with a number of well-known people who have expressed their opinions on the subject. The film is built around these interviews. At the conclusion of the film, DuVernay raises certain issues, such as whether slavery was actually abolished in America. 

This movie brought up emotions about incarceration in the US that I didn't know I had. I felt angry and sad at how our country has handled this situation. The film brought up new emotions about racism and the fact that we are still dealing with it today. I am saddened by the fact that there is still so many today who have hate in their hearts when it comes to somebody's race. Even though I had saddened feelings about racism beforehand this film created more. 

The story of Treyvon Martin, a 17-year-old kid, who was shot and killed in 2012 was so devastating to me. I was unfamiliar with this and it broke my heart. The guy who killed Treyvon was not convicted because of the "stand your ground" law here in Florida. The fact that there wasn't more done to gain justice for Treyvon is not right. I feel that if the situation was reversed and it was a black man who had shot someone, the court system would have found a way to convict him. This alone shows racism within our country. 

With our recent past president Trump we saw lots of racism come forth. In the video shown by Trump, he stated that he misses the “good ol’ days when “black men were just carried out on a stretcher. They were treated “very, very rough,” and law enforcement reacted quicker.” This was so sad to watch and listen to especially since his presidency was so recent. We as a country should be working towards being united together. Meaning those who are black and those who are white. Racism is too common today and something needs to happen. 

The film also showed the recent Black Live Matter campaign that took place after the brutal death of George Floyd. The fact that people get so upset about the fraise of "Black Lives Matter" and want to counteract that by saying "Well, all lives matter" Truly does not understand the effect racism has on citizens. The movement isn't supposed to say that only black lives matter but that they should matter just as much as white people do. 

Once someone has been incarcerated it is so hard to have a normal life again. This makes getting jobs, housing, insurance, and so much more difficult. This is why some people go back to criminal life because it ends up being easier. There has to be a better way for those who go to jail to be able to live a full life again once they get out. 

I feel kind of stuck when it comes to this issue. What can we do? What can I do? I try to make a difference in my own personal life but I feel so small. I wish that more people had open minds and ears and weren't so hard-headed and stuck in their ways. I do hope that with newer generations coming forward that we can make a difference and get rid of racism and our own form of slavery that we now have today. Every man and woman should be created equal. That is what our country is supposed to be formed on; equality.  

Overall this film has shown me a different perspective on our prison system and brought up many ideas I didn't even think of. I was honestly surprised by the completely different view about the prison system and how it ties into racism and slavery of our own in today's world. I found myself tearing up multiple times while watching this film in utter distraught about how we as a nation could still be so ignorant and hateful. We as a country need to strive to be better and end today's version of slavery.