A powerful insight into mass incarceration and modern slavery through our prison systems 
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Ava DuVernay&#8217;s powerful documentary 13TH, <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/80091741">now available on Netflix</a>, chronicles the rise of the US prison-industrial complex. The documentary is named after the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, the act credited with ending slavery. However, a clause in the Amendment makes it legal for the government to treat criminals as slaves as a form of punishment. 
The documentary explores how America holds 25 per cent of the world&#8217;s prison population despite making up only 5 per cent of the world’s population. Using testimonies from former prisoners, activists, politicians and intercutting footage from US media, 13TH argues that the demonisation of black people continued long after the official end of slavery. Starting with the notoriously racist 1915 film Birth of a Nation and referencing Ronald Reagan&#8217;s war on drugs in the 1980s, the documentary argues that black people had to first be dehumanised in order for people to consent to their mass imprisonment. 
This was accompanied by changes to the law which now mean that an estimated 1 in 3 black men will enter the prison system. While this figure is startling, the documentary highlights the legal changes that have led to this number – the discrepancy between jail times for crack vs. cocaine users, the increased use of minimum sentencing, ‘three strikes and you’re out’, and the Crime Bill of the 1990s. Each has been designed to target working-class black and brown people. 
More importantly, the documentary looks at the collusion between corporations who benefit financially from the prison system and politicians who push through these policies. While incarcerated, inmates will be forced to work either for free or for a pittance to help create products for large US corporations as well as the US government. Their cheap labour helps companies make more money. 
Prisoners are also given sub-standard food, charged extortionate prices for phone calls, face daily abuse from prison guards and can be held in inhumane detention, such as solitary confinement, for 23 hours a day for several years at a time. Once a prisoner is released, they may find that their punishment does not end. In many US states, convicted felons can no longer vote, obtain jobs or have access to benefit programs. All of this happens despite their spent sentences; they are, in fact, stripped of their rights for the rest of their lives. 
One of the more powerful scenes of the film shows crowds of white people in the 1950s attacking a black man as he walks alone in the street, while recordings of Donald Trump&#8217;s campaign speeches play in the background. This is intercut with images of black men and women being attacked at Trump rallies. Although the documentary was made prior to his election, this scene clarifies what Trump&#8217;s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan was: a call to return to the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/10/14/about-that-viral-video-of-donald-trump-talking-about-the-good-old-days/">“good ol’ days”</a> when white people could terrorise people of colour with impunity. 
The issues this film raises has close parallels with the targeting of Muslim communities in the United States. “Terrorist” is another racially-charged category of “criminal”. As Republican congressman Sean Duffy put it earlier this week, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sean-duffy-terrorism_us_589a081ce4b0c1284f28854c">white terrorists are totally different</a>. Media representations which paint all Muslims as ‘bad’ has led to increased fear among the American public, while fake news has been used in the rise of the ‘alt-right’, a convenient name for white supremacism and fascism. It is this process of ‘othering’ to stoke fear and hatred which has led to a host of human rights abuses against people who are Muslim or ‘look Muslim’, indeed anyone who is brown, has a beard or covers their hair. Could this explain why <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/10/americans-still-support-donald-trumps-immigration-ban-poll-shows/">1 in 3 Americans support Donald Trump’s Muslim ban</a> despite it being wholly unconstitutional and counter to the values that America was allegedly founded upon? 
Beyond DuVernay&#8217;s documentary, it is clear that this is not just an American problem. Prisons in the UK have become increasingly privatised as G4S and Serco take over their management more and more. There is a big push to build super prisons around the UK, because this warehouse-style housing of inmates is thought to be the most cost-effective. What’s more, the emphasis on running prisons for profit has led to deteriorating conditions across the prison sector. Last year alone saw two large prison riots, one in Birmingham and the other in Bedford. The Birmingham riot was blamed on poor staff training and a reduced workforce, which prompted the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/dec/19/g4s-must-pay-for-cost-of-birmingham-prison-riot-says-liz-truss">justice secretary to demand that G4S pay the bill</a> for using public funds to quell the unrest. 
Taking race into consideration, it is important to note that black Britons make up 10 per cent of prison inmates in the UK despite totalling only 2.8 per cent of the overall population. A <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/lammy-review-emerging-findings-published">landmark prison review headed up by David Lammy</a> found that black people are also more likely to be handed a custodial sentence for drug offences than their white counterparts, and more likely to be found guilty of an offence in a Crown Court. The review is ongoing but does hint at a similar racial discrepancy to that which we see in the film. 
There has also been a startling push to get more inmates working while in prison here in Britain. Private companies like <a href="http://one3one.justice.gov.uk/">One3one Solutions</a> are tasked with attracting businesses to use prison labour. Initiatives such as this are advertised to the public as a way to equip prisoners with skills, but many simply view this as way to create a prison industrial system similar that of the United States. The film 13TH shows us the horrors of such a system. It is up to us to decide if we allow for it here.
<pre>Image: official poster</pre>

13TH: America’s Profitable Legal Slavery

The release of Beyoncé’s new song has led to heated debate about whether the world’s greatest pop star is a role model for the black community or just another artist capitalising on black culture 
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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably have heard about Beyoncé’s new song ‘Formation’ which was released in early February. The song and video are both filled with allusions to “unapologetically black” Southern American culture, and are some of the most publicly pro-black statements that Beyoncé has made. The release of the song and video were followed up with a performance at the Superbowl, where Beyoncé performed the song flanked by dancers dressed as members of the Black Panther Party. Reactions range from unadulterated support and jubilation, to criticism about the <a href="http://www.blackgirldangerous.org/2016/02/dear-beyonce-katrina-is-not-your-story/">appropriation of Katrina</a> and the Black Panthers, the <a href="http://radfag.com/2016/02/10/my-apparently-obligatory-response-to-formation-in-list-form/">erasure of transwomen</a>, and the lyrics which reference the <a href="http://thyblackman.com/2016/02/09/beyonce-on-jackson-five-nostrils-creole-vs-negro-and-beefing-over-beyonces-formation/">history of colourism</a>. 
The question remains, however, whether ‘Formation’ was meant to be a political anthem for the times, or whether it was just a gimmick intended to sell concert tickets. This question was pushed further into the spotlight when comparing <a href="http://www.the-platform.org.uk/2015/12/16/2015s-lyrical-ironies-and-most-inventive-albums/">Kendrick Lamar&#8217;s</a> Grammy performance to Beyoncé’s Superbowl extravaganza. 
While Beyoncé’s politics were being scrutinised after the release of ‘Formation’, Kendrick complicated the debate with his medley of hits, including ‘Alright’, the unofficial <a href="http://www.the-platform.org.uk/2014/12/06/black-youth-as-a-lethal-weapon-the-incoherence-of-the-american-justice-system/">Black Lives Matter</a> anthem. The Grammy performance featured <a href="http://www.the-platform.org.uk/2014/12/06/black-youth-as-a-lethal-weapon-the-incoherence-of-the-american-justice-system/">Kendrick dressed as a prisoner</a> and was a critique of the prison industrial complex, as well as serving to connect current African American struggles back to those of their ancestors on the African continent. Kendrick&#8217;s performance was widely praised, raising the argument by <a href="http://www.the-platform.org.uk/2015/08/24/policing-black-women-capitalisms-violent-assault-on-hip-hop-and-civil-society/">black feminists</a> that it was sexist to praise Kendrick while criticising Beyoncé. 
Critique in regards to Beyoncé’s hair, body and clothes are undeniably sexist, but questioning her politics should not be blankly viewed the same way. Beyoncé is considered to be the biggest pop star on the planet appealing to mainstream audiences – and she has done so by toning down her blackness. Kendrick’s performance, on the other hand, is unsurprising as he markets himself as a man of the streets, who speaks about what&#8217;s happening in the hood. Beyoncé was always going to get more attention for her newly reclaimed blackness, and by extension, a backlash from some quarters. She was also going to be questioned about her sincerity, because this is not how we are used to perceiving her. 
To understand the controversy around ‘Formation’, the lyrics must be analysed. Beyoncé goes to lengths to remind everyone that she is, and has always been, a “Texas Bama”. The references to hot sauce, liking her baby with an afro and taking her man to Red Lobster after having great sex, are all references to a certain type of black culture that we rarely see celebrated by a mainstream artist. It is also Beyoncé’s way of saying that she hasn&#8217;t forgotten where she has come from. But the song also goes at length to promote the material wealth that she has amassed and will continue to gain. 
The song has come at a critical time in America and has started a renewed debate about the Black Panthers. The Black Panther legacy in America has been stained by a string of police killings, many of which led to the <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/02/black-panther-freed-43-years-prison-160220032055810.html">false imprisonment</a> of party members who are still being exonerated to this day. Little reference, however, is made to the organisation&#8217;s Breakfast Club Program, which has been adopted by every state in the union, nor to the influence of the Black Panthers on the Black Lives Matter movement. 
But Beyoncé is no Nina Simone. The fact that the song is being touted as such speaks to the lack of protest songs in mainstream pop cultures during this newly political era. With this in mind, it is important to note that many are favouring nostalgic discussions about the Black Panthers and black radical militant movements of the past, rather than engaging with present-day activists and struggles including the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/09/flint-michigan-water-crisis-investigation-criminal-charges-rick-snyder">Flint water crisis</a>. 
What is fascinating is the reaction of many black women who are self-proclaimed anti-capitalists. Quite a few excuse the apparent appropriation of Katrina, the Black Panthers and the black struggle, as they feel that she is using her star power to start a conversation. Digging deeper, it is apparent that the unadulterated support Beyoncé receives is influenced by the need of black women to support one another, as we all try to navigate the daily micro-aggressions we receive just by being women of colour in a largely western society. While I find this admirable, I&#8217;m not convinced sisterhood is at the top of Beyoncé’s agenda, considering she makes empathic statements about money and material wealth being of utmost significance to her. The fact that Beyoncé announced her world tour very soon after releasing ‘Formation’ can be viewed as shrewd marketing. Conversely, some proceeds from her tour will go to a <a href="http://www.fuse.tv/2016/02/beyonce-formation-tour-flint-water-crisis%5d">Flint Water Fund</a>, so perhaps this is her way of using her work to help various causes affecting black Americans. 
Equally important, nonetheless, is the fear that if we do not support Beyoncé, then what role models are we left with in mainstream pop culture? There is dearth of women of colour in mainstream society, and it’s refreshing to see a woman who appears to be in control and who, at this moment in time, is loudly proclaiming her blackness. It is difficult to not be enticed when black women are usually invisible from most of society, or worse, when our physical features, hair, style, slang and dance are appropriated by white women and are then deemed acceptable. Perhaps we are just filling the void left by living in a society where we are made to feel invisible and worthless – and that is a political act in itself. That is reason enough to consider ‘Formation’ to be a new civil rights anthem. As Audre Lorde once said, “black women caring about themselves is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”
<pre>Image from: http://goo.gl/5qWzqz</pre>
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Is ‘Formation’ the New Civil Rights Anthem?

It is time to understand the real victims of the sluggish plan for climate action and what will be lost if we continue at our current rate of consumption 
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This past Christmas, many of us saw scenes of the devastating flooding that took place in Yorkshire. Bridges collapsed, buses floated down the roads and families had to be evacuated. Events like these are becoming all too frequent. January 2014 saw flooding in Somerset, where local people were initially left to fend for themselves, as the devastating effects of the floods took hold. Extreme weather events like these will continue to increase as we continue to feel the effects of climate change. Overall temperatures on the planet <a href="http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/GlobalWarming/page2.php">have risen by 1°C</a>. The world is currently on track to <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/oct/30/worlds-climate-pledges-likely-to-lead-to-less-than-3c-of-warming-un">rising to 3°C</a>. 
What effect will that have on our planet? More importantly, who are the real losers in this situation? It&#8217;s important to note that the communities in the UK who have suffered the worst effects of flooding all hail from working class areas. This is by no means an accident. From Hurricane Katrina to the flooding in Somerset and Yorkshire to the communities devastated by fossil fuel extraction, environmental destruction and <a href="http://www.the-platform.org.uk/2016/01/02/the-moments-that-shook-us-in-2015/">government responses</a> to climate catastrophe are highly political. It is always the working class and people of colour who suffer the most. 
This is most illustrated in the wake of the recent climate agreement. The 21st annual Conference of Parties (COP21) concluded at the end of December 2015 in Paris to a wave of fanfare from the media. “Finally,” some said, “we are taking action on climate change!” Others declared that it was the end of the <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/12/opinions/sutter-cop21-climate-reaction/">fossil fuel era</a>. But it’s only on closer inspection of the Paris agreement coupled with scientific facts about the current state of the planet that we realise this agreement was just business as usual, and that the losers will continue to be working class communities and people of colour. 
While it is admirable that governments across the world agreed to curb their greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 to ensure that the planet only warms by 1.5°C, it&#8217;s very important to note that this agreement is not <a href="https://grist.org/climate-energy/heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-paris-climate-agreement/">legally binding</a>. This means that there is no legal mechanism to hold countries to account if they do not meet their agreed upon targets in cutting greenhouse gas emissions. This failure to reach a legally binding agreement means more flooding in Britain, and a death sentence to the many communities being forced off their land, and in some places killed, to further fossil fuel extraction. It also means that we have tacitly agreed to allow communities, like the island nations of the Pacific, to disappear into the ocean – making them not only climate refugees, but also disposable. This climate agreement has literally decided that some communities are not worth fighting for. They are sacrifice zones. 
In a way, none of this should be surprising. The western nations who are responsible for producing the majority of the carbon emissions that have led to global warming obtained their wealth and power via the exploitation of black and brown people – the same communities who have now been labelled collateral damage and are suffering the worse effects of climate change. It is these very land grabs that created many western nations. It is the exploitation of resources on colonised lands that built the wealth of western countries. It is also the consumption habits of westerners that is driving climate change by exporting greenhouse gases via factories in China. The land grabs continue today either for fossil fuel extraction or in an act of neocolonialism for <a href="http://newint.org/features/2015/03/01/desertec-long/">renewable energy projects</a>. 
While the challenge to fight climate change is enormous, it does provide us with an opportunity to create a new world. And despite the many obstacles faced by indigenous people and those on the front lines of climate change, there is renewed vigour in the climate justice movement. There have been <a href="https://intercontinentalcry.org/15-indigenous-rights-victories-didnt-hear-2015/">many victories for indigenous groups</a> fighting for climate justice, from the shelving of the Keystone XL pipeline in North America to Ogoni of Nigeria winning the right to sue Shell for the deadly pollution caused by their oil extraction. Groups are also speaking out and demanding to be heard. From the indigenous groups <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/indigenous-peoples-take-to-the-seine-river-to-urge-leaders-to-action-on-climate-change-2015-12?r=US&amp;IR=T">kayaking down the Seine</a> in protest of their rights being stripped at the COP21, to the indigenous fighting for their rightful place to lead the <a href="http://newint.org/blog/guests/2015/12/01/darkening-the-white-heart-of-the-climate-movement/">London Climate march</a>. Their spirit is indomitable. They will not be silenced. Their lives are literally on the line. 
More and more, regular people around the world are standing up and fighting for climate justice. Grassroots organisation led to the overthrow of apartheid in South Africa, the passing of the Civil Rights Act in the United States and helped women get the right to vote in various countries. Although the COP21 was an abject failure, it is the frontline communities who will have the final say. Despite the white-washed image you may have of the environmental movement, it is these working class, black, brown and indigenous groups who will have the final say. They are the first to march, the first to fight and the first to die. Will you join them?
<pre>Image from: http://upliftconnect.com/indigenous-cry/ </pre>

Tisha Brown