Liberty And Justice In The Film 13th, By Ava Duvernay

The land of opportunity, “the land of the free” “ with liberty and justice for all” these are just some of the phrases that have been taught to children as early as preschool when children learn the Pledge of Allegiance or The National Anthem, but who actually benefits from this “liberty” and to what extent is the statement “liberty and justice for all,” that can be found in the Pledge of Allegiance, true? The documentary “13th” directed by Ava Duvernay's helps the audience find an answer to this particular question. This documentary focuses on the 13th amendment, that states "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
This documentary helps us obtain better insight on how slavery has evolved through the years as well as the effect that is has had on those people of color through rhetoric which have been the most affected through these different laws. Through this new mean of slavery which we call mass incarceration people of color have been victims to dehumanization, terrorism and over representation in the media. “13th” emphasises the correlation of slavery being an economic system with the massive racism that has undoubtedly been embedded in the heart of the United States. This entire process that is still running today can be best explained in the recording found by Reagan's campaign strategist, Lee Atwater in 1981, “ You start out in 1954 by saying nigger, nigger, nigger. By 1968 you can't say nigger. It hurts
Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Fred Hampton began to fight for their rights and stop the criminalization and dehumanization that has been put upon this race based on the color of their skin they became the biggest threat to the United states. In fact, through this humans rights movement Martin Luther King Jr. was seen as the greatest criminal by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Black Panthers, which at the time were only a small group of activists were also seen as a huge threat to the United States. Being a criminal and getting arrested was now seen as a noble thing, something that happens when you fight for your rights. Through this massive movement, the civil rights act and the voting act finally gave the people some type of promise of the possibility of equality. However at the same time crime rates were increasing as well. Once the war on drugs began it was evident that once again this was not a war solely on drugs but on race. Powder cocaine was associated with the upper class while crack cocaine was associated with the lower class and specifically with the African American communities, most interesting was the fact that the possession of crack cocaine was viewed as a worse crime in comparison to powdered cocaine when in reality they should have been treated