Rebranding American Slavery

By: Luther Bravo

Co-Written with Taylor Louise

America has a slavery issue. Which should be surprising to no one.  A country that built its financial infrastructure on the basis that there will always be forced labor, is going to have issues if that forced labor goes away. It is important that we acknowledge this if we are to ever make progress on worker’s rights. 

See, if you don’t understand that every American business wants to get as close to slavery as they can, you’ll never make any meaningful progress. Accepting the reality that every issue that people in the workforce are facing is by design is important. Although this is a truth that most of us quietly accept, we need to say it aloud because it is why so many options have failed. We have to be willing to see all of the ways the slavery has been successfully rebranded in America if we are to address workers issues.

Slavery gotets rebranded in America after the Civil War. It’s important that we accept the fact that slavery did not just go away when the Civil War ended. After the Civil War former slave owners and business owners got more creative in how they exploited labor. The Black Codes were introduced after the Civil War in order to restrict the rights of Black people. This allowed, former slave owners and Confederate soldiers to keep their lives basically the same as when slavery was legal. This practice was seen by the large number of formerly enslaved people who became sharecroppers after the Civil War. 

However, those who entered the prison system would be subjected to actual slavery. The loophole within the 13 Amendment is a pillar of the economy. The 13th Amendment states, “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.” Everything from food to electronics are produced with the use of prison labor here in America. The prisoners get paid pennies on the dollar if at all - to create these products. Now, we even have prisoners stepping up as firefighters during times of need. While this tends to be a positive experience for the selected inmates , it becomes a lot murkier when you take a closer look at it. For instance, in most states any felony conviction will disbar a person from becoming a firefighter. Which would mean, that a person who was qualified to fight fires while imprisoned will not be qualified when freed. 

For example, when you fill out a job application in many cases you will have to have the legal right to work within this county. That would require citizenship or a work visa. For many residents who are not citizens are then forced to work under the table, working without the government knowing, to be able to provide for themselves. This often subjects them to substandard pay, dangerous working conditions and poor job security. According to a 2018 study by the US department of Labor, 49% of the agricultural workforce is undocumented. This is a huge problem, when we are living under an administration who is focused on deporting and or imprisoning as many “illegal immigrants” as they can.  

It is clear that one of the goals of the mass deportations under the 2nd Trump Administration is to increase the amount of prisoners. This is because slavery is legal for the imprisoned.  However, we cannot understate how cruel this all is. To purposefully create a loophole to continue an inhumane practice is cruel. To profit off of that is cruel. To purposefully cause international instability in nations to increase immigration is cruel. To persecute those who are forced to immigrate here because the instability you caused is cruel. The cruelty of this system is the point. The way the 2nd Trump Administration talks about prisoners and immigrants as if they deserve the cruelty they are subjected to - that is a part of the system. 

There are people and groups already working on these issues. What they need from you is your support. Tell everyone you know about The Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program  and how they are helping felons become firefighters. Talk about how the American Friends Service Committee(AFSC) is helping immigrants advocate and know their rights.   We cannot forget what it’s important and what is possible. We have to be willing to take action in order to reach the goal of fair labor for all. Your attention is the most valuable part of our liberation. So, I beg you to pay attention to workers and the people trying to protect us. 

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