13th Documentary Reflection

In the discussions in the documentary 13th, it talks about the controversial issue of racism. On one hand there are people that say that African Americans are not doing anything wrong and that America’s justice system is corrupt, and on the other hand there are African Americans that are in gangs, dealing crack, and killing people that if raised right and would stay in school/out of trouble would not be stuck in jail for the rest of their life. In the documentary 13th, it talks about racism from the past to the present. It starts with people from the KKK and lynching mobs from back then to now a days where they say that Black people are getting arrested and getting stuck in a corrupt justice system.

The “13th” is a documentary about the American system of incarceration and the economic forces behind racism in America especially in people of color. One of the claims that the author mentioned is that today incarceration is an extension of slavery. It is also mentioned that most of the time in society we are defined by race. In the documentary, we can see how African Americans are sentenced for many years since they are too poor to pay their fines or sometimes most of these people plead guilty to get out of jail fast. However, African Americans are separated from their families and also treated inhumanly in prisons just because they are of a particular race.

On the front lines in Europe longer than any other American unit, the African-American 369th Regiment triumphed in battle and was recognized for courage and resilience by much of the American public. Yet, the mere existence of a segregated all-Black unit and the mixed reception of these soldiers during and after the war, testify to the entrenched mistreatment of Blacks in America and the ingrained White supremacy attitudes of Americans. Even when they served in segregated units, the presence of Black men in uniform threatened the racial hierarchy and unnerved Whites, which worsened the treatment of people of color. Despite the success of the regiment, their fame did not advance them individually, or the status of Blacks more broadly. Furthermore,

become an American citizen they had so many laws and things to stop African Americans to be equal to White citizens. First, there were these codes called black codes they allowed slaves to be freed but they stopped them from having rights they restricted freed slaves from voting, they could not go in jury duty and limited there right to testify against white people. They also were not allowed to own guns or any weapons and also could not work in many places so even though they were freed they were still held against their rights and they did not have much at all. Amendments were passed to allow people as in African American men to vote they banned or prohibited government from denying U.S. citizens the right to vote based on race,color,or past servitude.

“Black Men and Public Spaces” Diagnostic Essay Brent Staples in “Black Men and Public Spaces,” illustrates the inescapable prejudices and stereotyping that African-American men face in America. He does this by relating to his audience through his personal experiences with stereotyping, and sharing his malcontent on how these events have made him alter his way of living. From “victimizing” woman, watching people lock themselves away, and having to whistle classical music to calm the nerves of people around him; Staples builds a picture to help people better sympathize and understand his frustration. Although Staples describes himself as a college graduate, a journalist, and a softy in the face of violence, he details that the overall public deems him a dangerous criminal.

Al Sharpton radio host, and minister once said, “We have defeated Jim Crow, but now we have to deal with his son, James Crow Jr., esquire.” (cite) He then goes on to say that his “son” is smarter, slicker, and more cunning than him. This metaphor describes that even though the Jim Crow Laws have been ratified, there is a new racial discrimination in America that is growing and is harder to defeat than the last. The Jim Crow Laws were the set of laws that set the whites and blacks separate from each other in the 1900s, although they have been defeated, America today may be equal lawfully but not on an individual level.

The status/treatment of African Americans can be seen through the 1930’s in Jim Crow laws, the Great depression, and people. The Jim Crow laws create conflict between African Americans and white Americans. The Great Depression also made it worse for them because they lost many things and money. Finally certain people affected them in good and bad ways. African Americans were very segregated from everyone in the 1930s.

In the 1950s America found itself facing the deep-rooted issue of racism, specifically toward African –Americans. Slaves were freed and people were declared equal, equality was not always prevalent. Segregation remained in much of the country. This meant people groups such as blacks had were forcefully separated from whites in schools, transportation, hospitals, and more. Particularly in the South, segregation had a strong hold on society. This began to change as supreme courts re-evaluated segregation laws, especially in schools.

The cause of the Underground Railroad was the slaves arrived in 1619, a ship docked in Jamestown, Virginia. The ship carried away 20 people had been kidnapped from their homes in west Africa. At an auction, a large group of newly arrived black men and women and children were put on display. They pried open their mouths to check their teeth. They pinched their muscles to make sure they were strong.

This article talks about Black Criminal Stereotypes and Racial Profiling. It begins explaining how racial profiling was always apart of American culture but after the civil war, blacks started to become more involved in racial profiling when it came to crime. The word “criminal predator” started to become a way to describe young black males. It is stated that this bad reputation that they have dates back to the enslavement of Africans in the United States. Blacks are seen as physically threatening because of their “biological flow”.

In collegiate education, American History has always, has been told from the white person’s point of view. It has also failed to recognize the contributions of African American culture that has helped create America. Overtime many thought this would change, but in reality majority of African-Americans know more about “American” history than African-American history. Because of the lack of knowledge that both black people and non-black people have about African-American history, they tend to have closed off mindsets about how the topic relates to educations. According to Aristotle, “ It’s the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”

To have white privilege is to have the dominant image and the overall construct of the world (Dyer, 9). Whites have the luxury of mass representation in the media whereas racial minorities are constantly under or misrepresented. White Privilege isn't the amenity of possessing a natural given superiority and advantage over others, it is a systemic empowerment that originated as an “unearned entitlement” and later developed to an “unearned advantage” (Dyer, 3). This “unearned advantage” is widely displayed throughout the media; there is a blatant disparity in the way people of color are represented in comparison to whites.

13th Analysis “13th”, a documentary produced by Anya DeVernay, is about racial inequality. To strengthen the argument about racial inequality, DeVernay uses pathos, logos, and ethos in the documentary. Pathos, the use of emotions, is seen numerous times in the 13th. For example, throughout the film, clips of African Americans being thrown into jail or beings harshly treated are shown. This appeals to emotions because the person viewing the film gets a real life image of what African American’s are being treated like.