The Crimilization of African Americans
In the docu-film 13th, the link between systemic anti-black racism and the media is made clear. The 1915 film Birth of A Nation is one of the first of many films that contributed to African Americans’ demonization. African Americans are portrayed as no good, lazy sexual predators wanting to defile White women. This depiction of African Americans was used to justify lynching young black men and increased rates of incarceration. Jim Crow laws enhanced racial stereotypes, and segregation further separated Black and White people causing both groups to understand each other even less. Especially after the release of Birth of A Nation, black Americans started a new wave a brutality. This resulted in a mass exodus of African Americans from the south and moving to places like New York City and Oakland.
The Thirteenth Amendment in the United States Consitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude; however, there is a loophole entrenched, which states that the Thirteenth Amendment’s expectation is criminal punishment. When taken at face value, crime punishment is the only expectation that makes sense and is justifiable. However, the loophole is exploited to criminalize African Americans.
The combination of the government lawmakers and the media contributed to the criminalization of African Americans. Politicians used the criminalization of minority groups to support their election campaigns. Whenever a politician vowed to be “tough on crime” or starting a “war on drugs,” it is a sugar-coated way to push racist agendas. The more laws and legislation are put into place to criminalize people, the higher the incarceration rates. Police officers are distributed in minority neighbourhoods that have a higher poverty rate. The prison systems in America are not meant to rehabilitate but are a means for corporations to exploit labour. Inmates in prisons are apart of the production process for corporations.
The dehumanization of African Americans broke up homes and created an absentee father’s image in Black households. Years of many Black men, especially young Black men, have resulted in Black people viewing themselves as criminals.
