Last night I watched the documentary 13th on Netflix. This wasn’t a film that I thought I’d simply watch on a Monday evening. For me, it was a part of doing “the work.”
When I say “the work,” I borrowing the term I’ve learned in the past weeks from Black people I’ve been following on social media and trying to listen and learn from. “The work” is the work of white people, it is “unpacking what you’ve been taught to do or say or believe” and learning what white privilege has given you, how you have used it against Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC), and how to be a more effective ally to BIPOC.
What is “the work?” It’s educating myself. It’s listening and reading and lots of reflection. It’s facing some truths about myself that aren’t fun to sit with.
This work is hard y’all. It’s uncomfortable and guilt-ridden.
13th was on my list of movies to watch to gain a greater understanding on the history of Black people in the US. First of all, I didn’t care about history in school but even if I did, the 13th Amendment, slavery, and what white colonists did to Native Americans and Black people is simply glossed over. You know us white folks don’t like to talk about the hard stuff, the stuff we did that wasn’t flattering, that was utterly and completely horrific and done in the name of greed.
The documentary examines the history of Black Americans from the abolishment of slavery up to current times. It examines a loophole in the 13th Amendment I wasn’t even aware of and the systemic issues around policing, prisons, and incarceration.
As I’m listening, reading, watching, and learning – I’m also a bit paralyzed. Now that I’m working on myself I feel that I also need to be helping the BIPOC and lifting their voices up, making sure this is the last time in history they need to fight to be treated like citizens – not 2nd class citizens but citizens.