“You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.” – William Wilberforce

By now many stout-hearted persons have had the opportunity to witness the powerful film “12 Years a Slave”, based on the real life experiences of Solomon Northrop just prior to the Civil War. Directed by Steve McQueen and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Brad Pitt (I mention Brad Pitt in the hopes that those of you who haven’t seen it will put the film on your holiday list). The highly acclaimed film, unflinching in its portrayal of the dehumanizing institution that was slavery, is not a heart-warming, feel good movie.  The film commands the attention of the viewer as it communicates the brutality of the institution of slavery. However, if you leave the theater only with a feeling or knowledge of how awful things were, or how wonderful we are that we have abolished the institution of slavery you will have missed its lessons for today.

On this day, December 18, 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, prohibiting slavery and involuntary servitude. However, there was an exception. That exception was as punishment for a crime. Carving out such an exception led to iterations such as convict leasing that began with emancipated slaves, the expansion of peonage a form involuntary servitude for debtors, and Jim Crow laws that expanded the list of legal offenses and criminal acts leading to incarceration.

To fail to draw the connections between these various forms of slavery, involuntary servitude, and today’s system of mass incarceration or hyper incarceration is to fail to see the residue that continues to stain our nation’s history. By the way, the very next day the state of South Carolina passed a law that required black “servants” to enter labor contracts with their white “master,” to work from dawn to dusk, and to maintain a “polite” demeanor.[1] Thus, continuing the “servant/master” relationship.

So if, or when, you see the film, rather than walking out in stunned silence, unsure of what to do with your thoughts and emotions consider these questions:

Where does the servant/master relationship play itself out in our local and global communities today?

Does the United States incarceration rate reflect a failure to correct historic injustices such as the institute of slavery?

How familiar are you with human-trafficking in modern societies and cultures?

You’ll need a strong cup of coffee for this one!

Learn more about 12 Years a Slave

See the movie trailer