Renewal.

I'm just a sojourner alienist living in terra-firma, passing through the sieve of this earth suit and noticed that...

It's time to renew the 13th amendment to the constitution.

Dismantling the legacy of slavery means acknowledging truth. As written, the 13th Amendment is a violation of the social contract. It protects slavery in the guise of the prison industrial complex.

At the time of its inception, the 13th amendment was the best that white male American politicians were willing to come up with: a compromise that continued the ills of slavery by turning the land of the free into the land of penitentiaries.

One hundred years after its ratification, inequalities perpetuated after emancipation rose to the level of the Federal Government and had to be addressed. President Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) signed into law the the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which paved the way for significant changes in the American landscape:

• Title I—Voting Rights: Aimed to eliminate various requirements used to disenfranchise African American voters.
• Title II—Public Accommodations: Prohibited discrimination in public places and ended segregation in these public accommodations.
• Title III—Desegregation of Public Facilities: Authorized the Attorney General to file lawsuits to force desegregation of public facilities.
• Title IV—Desegregation of Public Education: Addressed racial segregation in schools and empowered the federal government to assist with the desegregation process.
• Title VI—Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs: Prohibited discrimination by government agencies that receive federal funds; it could cut off funding to programs that discriminated on the basis of race, color, or national origin.
• Title VII—Equal Employment Opportunity: Established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to address racial discrimination in employment. It also prohibited discrimination by covered employers on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
• Title IX—Miscellaneous Provisions: Made it easier to move civil rights cases from state courts with a prejudiced jury pool to federal court.

In the following year, LBJ also laid the groundwork for the system that would become the prison industrial complex - the Law Enforcement Assistance Act (LEAA). Although meant to improve public safety, its execution negatively impacted communities of color. The U.S. prison system continues to supply acres of skin in support of a market economy fed by prison labor.

Discrimination against minorities, ultimately hurts everyone. Organizations like Freedom United seem to be on the case, but more support is needed to convince congress to do the right thing.

In order to preserve a more perfect union let's adopt a policy to remove the exception written into the 13th Amendment.

Here is the proposal:

118th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. J. RES. __

To amend the 13th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States to abolish slavery and involuntary servitude entirely.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Date: Yesterday

Mr./Ms. [your representative or senator] of [your state] (for himself/herself, Mr./Ms. [Co-sponsor Name], and others) introduced the following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on [Appropriate Committee, e.g., Judiciary].

JOINT RESOLUTION

To amend the 13th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States to abolish slavery and involuntary servitude entirely.

Whereas the original 13th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States declares, "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;"

Whereas this exception clause has allowed for the continuation of slavery and involuntary servitude in the form of penal labor;

Whereas the perpetuation of these conditions undermines the fundamental principles of freedom and human dignity;

Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States:

Article—

Section 1. The 13th Amendment is hereby amended to read as follows: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Be well citizens!

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