#Socialites, did you know that slavery is still constitutionally legal in the United States of America? Well, it’s true and slavery is making its way onto November’s ballot for the midterm elections in the 5 states of Louisiana, Alabama, Louisiana, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont.
Now, some people are probably thinking — “Wait, what about the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution?” Well, that historical 1865 edit technically only abolished involuntary servitude and chattel slavery, where an individual is considered the personal property of another.
However, thanks to a loophole, slavery is still very much alive and can be imposed as a punishment for a crime. Per the constitution, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”
Now, if you’re calling into question the correlation between slavery and prison, you’re not alone. As an attempt to address the loophole, an initiative has been created and poses as a main reason as to why slavery is headed to the voting block ahead of November’s midterm elections.
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Slavery Is Still Legal In America & It’s On November’s Ballot In 5 States: Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee, Vermont & Oregon
Now, in less than 60 days, in the five states of Louisiana, Alabama, Louisiana, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont, voters will have to decide whether to officially abolish slavery and involuntary servitude.
Again, this decision is a part of a larger criminal justice reform movement aimed at current U.S. prison policies around the prison labor system. It’s reported that about 1.2 million people in the prisons across the U.S. can be and are often legally enslaved.
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Meanwhile, longtime advocate and revered director Ava DuVernay has previously explained the loophole in the 13th Amendment via her groundbreaking documentary, ‘13th.’
DuVernay previously said, “Everybody knows the 13th Amendment of the Constitution says there shall be no slavery in the United States. Most people don’t know that that is a lie. Right after it says there shall be no slavery, there’s a little clause, a little loophole, that says ‘except’ – the exception is, ‘except’ if we think you’re a criminal.”
Additionally, Congresswoman Nikema Williams also addressed the loophole in the 13th Amendment. For this year’s Juneteenth celebration, she tweeted, “#Juneteenth also reminds us that slavery HAS NOT been fully abolished in this country. In reality, the 13th Amendment outlawed slavery EXCEPT as punishment for a crime. And that’s why we need the Abolition Amendment. I’m bold enough to think that I can change the Constitution, and I know that there’s a national, bipartisan, multiracial movement to get it done. Let’s #EndTheException in the 13th Amendment.”
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