Mass Incarceration in America- Leah Lara

 On October 7th, Netflix has released a new documentary, 13th, discusses the mass incarceration of black men in this country. It's name references the 13th amendment of the United States, which we contribute to freeing all the slaves. What most of us don't know, however, is that there is also a clause that makes slavery legal if the slave is convicted of a crime. This film explores the direct connection from this loophole- to the social epidemic and turmoil which we find ourselves in today.

 Our history books likes to paint the picture that physical bondage for blacks ended with the abolition of slavery, and the social restriction for blacks ended with the civil  rights movement. What we fail to realize is that the systematic oppression of black people in this country has not gone away, but simply morphed to concede with the times. The United States holds 4.4% of the total population of the world, yet 25% of the world's prison population. And black men make up 40% of the entire prison population dispute only making up 4.3% of the United States. The constant dehumanization of black men and black people have lead to the acceptance of murder of black males that we see so often today. I encourage everyone to watch this documentary, so their eyes can be opened to the way we are living. I believe that unless this problem is acknowledged and addressed, the oppression of black people will continue for many more generations. 
http://fortune.com/2016/10/06/13th-netflix-documentary-ava-duvernay/