Convict Leasing | Black History in Two Minutes

In Be Woke Vote Podcast, Black History in Two Minutes

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (41.6MB) | Embed

Although the 13th Amendment passed the Senate in 1864 and the House in 1865, the loopholes that exist continue to wreak havoc on the African-American population. To ensure the cotton industry would remain unaffected once the slaves were freed, convict leasing — a system that provides prison labor to plantation owners and private corporations — was implemented. The ramifications of this system continue to this day.

Those who were arrested — even on minor charges — were locked up and used as free labor while behind bars. This also signaled a shift in the racial makeup of prisoners as more African-Americans were targeted by law enforcement. In this series of Black History in Two Minutes or So, more light is shed on the capitalization of private prisons and how African-Americans are used to fuel the profits for America’s criminal justice system.

Archival Materials Courtesy of:

Alabama Department of Archives and History Alamy Images Bruce Davidson / Magnum Photos DON HOGAN CHARLES/The New York Times/Redux Getty Images Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division Sadie Dayton Photography.

Be Woke.Vote is a 2019 Webby Award nominated and honored series.

Be Woke.Vote YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/BeWokeVote

Be Woke.Vote – IG
https://www.instagram.com/be.woke.vote/

Be Woke.Vote – FB
https://www.facebook.com/be.woke.vote/

Google Podcast
https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9iZXdva2Uudm90ZS9mZWVkL3BvZGNhc3Qv

Apple Itunes
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-woke/id1439544257

Stitcher
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/be-wokevote-presents