Gender, Race and Media Class - Movie 13

My thoughts about the movie 13th. 

 

    The movie 13th was named after the 13th amendment which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude except for punishment of a crime. I thought it was an incredibly powerful testament to the suffering America has put so many people through and eye-opening to show how America is still doing this. 

    A lot of people will say that because of the 13th amendment, slavery is no longer a thing and so it is simply something of the past we don't have to worry about anymore. And while I am in total support of moving forward and on to better, I don't think it's okay to act as if the past does not exist. In this movie, it was made clear even how the past had impacted the present, especially when it comes to the slavery to prison pipeline and the systems that grew out of the civil war that hurt AHANA communities. 

    When researching the behind the scenes info about this movie, I also found that the viewership of the movie went up incredibly drastically after the George Floyd protests, which I think is a great thing. People are wanting to educate themselves and learn how to act out against systemic issues and racism that still belongs in our country, and learning about slavery and the impact the prison system has on us today is a great way to do that.