Important people interviewed in film
About the Director
- born August 24, 1972
- grew up in Compton, California
- attended UCLA for English and African American Studies
- initially interested in journalism, ended up working in public relations
- first narrative film, I Will Follow, in 2011
- known for directing Selma (2014), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture
- recently directed Disney's A Wrinkle in Time; first black woman to direct a live-action film with a budget over $100 million
Ava DuVernay
What is ALEC?
- ALEC - American Legislative Exchange Council
- made up of politicians and corporations, creates laws
- known for creating the "Stand Your Ground" law
History of Criminalization
About the film
- post-Civil War: criminalizing minor crimes, "convict leasing"
- 1900-1950s: denying blacks right to vote, Jim Crow laws
- 1960s: Civil Rights movement, Republican party appeals to white, Conservative voters
- 1970s: Richard Nixon promotes "law and order," creates the War on Drugs
- 1980s: Ronald Reagan's "Just Say No" campaign, crack cocaine epidemic
- 1990s: Bill Clinton creates "3 Strikes" law
Directed by Ava DuVernay, 13th focuses on the 13th amendment - what it means, why it was introduced, and how it continues to affect our prison system to this day.
The 13th amendment
"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 any place subject to their jurisdiction."
13th