just watched the netflix documentary 13th by ava duvernay that does an incredible job of drawing a line visually between slavery and the current mass incarceration system of oppression in the us. i feel like it could have done more to draw the contrast between the general public perception of af am enslaved people prior to the end of slavery with the public perception advanced by birth of a nation, as competitive notions that both served a conservative purpose. i think it also could have done a little more to directly address how demographic shifts, white flight, destroyed urban tax bases and how the riots reflected the unfinished business of the civil rights movement in addressing de facto segregation in the us.
but ultimately, it seems to be the first thing i've seen that succinctly puts black lives matter into a historical context effectively making it accessible for the trump supporters i teach on a daily basis.
13th
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