Slavery is Legal in the US
The Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified on December 6, 1865, to abolish slavery. The Emancipation Proclamation, declared by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 during the American Civil War, only freed slaves held in Confederate states. Only through the Thirteenth Amendment did emancipation become national policy.
The Thirteenth Amendment states, "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, save 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."
However, it was with this exception, “as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted,” that a new form of slavery rapidly developed. After the Civil War, black codes and other discriminatory laws made it easy for local officials to arrest African Americans for minor infractions. Convict labor became a significant source of revenue in some states via convict leasing to private individuals and companies. The practice grew in prevalence and scope such that by 1898, 73% of Alabama’s state revenue came from convict leasing.
Legal slavery in the United States continues today due to this “Slavery Clause” loophole in the Thirteenth Amendment. The corruption of our criminal justice system, with discrimination fueling mass incarceration, has continued through the War on Drugs, the proliferation of the three-strike laws, severe plea deals, and harsh mandatory minimum policies.
In 2023, Georgia Congresswoman Nikema Williams reintroduced the Abolition Amendment, which would remove this loophole. To live up to our nation’s promise of justice for all, Congress must take the long overdue step and finally end the morally reprehensible practice of slavery in the US.
November 28th: Beyond Thanksgiving—A Reckoning with the Past
Thanksgiving, for many, is a day of gratitude and tradition. But for others, it is a day heavy with the weight of history—marked by the legacies of genocide, economic exploitation, and racism. For Georgians, November 28th carries an additional burden: it is the anniversary of the last enslaved Africans brought to the state, a reminder of humanity betrayed.
In 1858, the Wanderer sailed into Jekyll Island’s shadowed shores. Once a symbol of luxury and speed, the yacht had been reconfigured for a far more hideous purpose. Hidden beneath its polished exterior were 409 West African men, women, and children who were stolen from their homeland and transported across the Atlantic in defiance of the Slave Importation Act of 1807, which had outlawed such horrors. Ninety souls perished in the bowels of that ship before reaching land.
The Wanderer’s arrival was not just a crime of law but a moral abomination—a cruel testament to greed and power. It deepened the divide between North and South, its impact rippling toward the Civil War, which would erupt three years later. By the war’s end, the surviving captives were declared free. Yet freedom did not heal the wounds of displacement or restore the lives and homes stolen from them.
On this day, let us move beyond sanitized celebrations and confront the truths beneath them. Let us mourn with Indigenous communities for the lands and lives taken. Let us remember the men, women, and children forced onto the Wanderer—their names lost but their humanity enduring.
This is not just a moment for reflection but for action. The Wanderer is a reminder that injustice thrives when the powerful exploit and the masses remain silent. Let November 28th challenge us to rise, to speak, and to honor those who endured history’s most horrific chapters with resilience and courage.
Beyond Acknowledgement: Respecting the Land and the People
Chrysalis Lab is devoted to promoting diversity and inclusion by helping organizations transform their internal cultures. We believe land acknowledgement should only be used when they are grounded in integrity and provide a framework for open dialogue and action.
A Land acknowledgment is a formal statement that recognizes the Indigenous peoples as the original stewards of the land on which you currently live or work.
More than anything, remember that Native Nations are sovereign governments with their own cultures, beliefs and jurisdictions and deserve our respect as the original inhabitants of the lands we now build community on.
Here are some tips for crafting a land acknowledgment:
- The acknowledgment should be genuine and motivated by respect and support for Indigenous peoples.
- Land acknowledgments shouldn’t be repeatedly used pre-scripted statements since it may appear insincere. Personalize them as much as possible.
- Research Indigenous place names and include them in local land acknowledgements. For instance, in Georgia, it would be appropriate to acknowledge the primary Indigenous American nations who inhabited the state which were the Cherokee Nation and Muscogee (Creek) Nation.
- Prior to penning a land acknowledgement, engage in dialogue with Native Nations and people who have ancestral lands there to get their input. Find ways to partner with Native people and Tribal Nations.
- If you ask Tribal Nations or Native people to help prepare or deliver the statement, be prepared to offer compensation. You might also consider making donations to organizations that support Tribal sovereignty.
- Include action steps for supporting Indigenous people. Make sure the actions are what Tribal Nations actually want. Tribal Nations are clear about their priorities – all we need to do is ask.
- Don't use language that makes it sound like Native people are no longer here. Today, there are 574 federally recognized tribes in the U.S. with vibrant cultures and sovereign governments.
Sources: https://www.eliseblasingame.com/land-acknowledgment
https://fakequity.com/2020/11/20/land-acknowledgements/
https://nativegov.org/news/a-guide-to-indigenous-land-acknowledgment/
https://illuminative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Land_Acknowledgement.pdf
WHY BUY BLACK?
This month marks the 20th Anniversary of Black Business Month, a time dedicated to acknowledging and appreciating Black-owned businesses. The goal is to highlight and empower Black business owners across the country, as well as acknowledge the unique challenges that Black business owners face.
Beyond enslavement, the origins of today’s racial wealth gap can be traced to Jim Crow-era practices like redlining, job discrimination, and exclusionary legislation, which segregated Black Americans from higher paying jobs and home ownership. Supporting Black-owned businesses can help close the racial wealth gap, which is currently about 12 times larger for white families than Black families.
Many Black American business owners self-fund their businesses because of the lack of loan opportunities and to avoid racist, predatory lending practices. This makes it difficult for Black entrepreneurs to grow and expand their companies. In Atlanta, for example, long heralded as the “Black mecca,” yet the wealth of White households is 46 times greater than Black households, according to a recent report from the Atlanta Wealth Building Initiative. In addition, 97% of Black-owned businesses have no employees and are more concentrated in lower-revenue industries.
Despite these hardships, Black-owned businesses are geographically concentrated in their communities and are more likely to provide job and self-employment opportunities in low-income neighborhoods. By supporting Black-owned businesses, we can create more opportunities for Black people to save money, buy property, build credit, and create generational wealth.
When small businesses flourish, so do their communities. The best way to celebrate Black Business Month is to seek out and support local Black-owned businesses. You can also shine a spotlight on them via social media. If you come across any content related to Black businesses, like, share, or repost so it reaches a larger audience. You can also search and follow hashtags like #blackbusiness or #blackbusinessmonth to lend your support online.
July 4th--And We Still Must Mourn
“This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn.”
– Frederick Douglass, July 5, 1852
Every year on July 4th, American flags wave proudly, parades and fireworks light up cities and towns, and barbecues sizzle in backyards and on front stoops, all in celebration of America’s independence. However, 248 years after the battle for independence, many are not likely to feel patriotic, particularly Blacks in America as they still are waging a fight for freedom every day.
In 1776, Black people were shackled in bondage, and seen as mere property, while white Americans reveled in their hard-won freedom. Some brave souls seized the moment to flee, revolt, and resist their chains. Meanwhile, Indigenous Americans faced a harrowing fate, their people decimated by war and disease, their sacred lands stolen under the ruthless banner of Manifest Destiny.
If the promise of America isn’t afforded to all Americans, then we are still at war – a war with ourselves to forge a true America. Even after the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement, America still yearns for civility. Individuals and organizations committed to racial equity must remain rigorous and steadfast in fighting for racial justice. It’s a work in progress.
July 4th should be a time for deep reflection on our nation's current crossroads, as we watch the principles of freedom and justice slip through our fingers. Since the affirmative action rulings of June 2023, efforts to advance racial equity have faced relentless opposition. A calculated campaign seeks to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in our public institutions—schools, libraries, and government agencies alike. In 22 states, legislatures have curtailed DEI initiatives on college campuses. The relentless push to suppress voting rights continues unabated at state and local levels. Recently, the Georgia Supreme Court struck down the Fearless Fund’s Strivers’ Grant program, which aimed to uplift Black women-owned businesses. We must remain vigilant against the conservative agenda's drive to double down on the starkly racist policies of Project 2025.
From the vehement denial of historical truths and the battle against teaching ‘critical race theory’ to the proposed laws that deepen systemic racism, BIPOC communities are still treated as second-class citizens, stripped of equal rights, opportunities, and privileges. This Fourth of July, while we are free to celebrate, we cannot turn away from the profound historical truth this day symbolizes.
A Man’s Good Health is His Greatest Wealth
June is National Men’s Health Month, a time to remind men of the health issues they face and what they can do to take better care of their health. Generally, men are notorious for not being proactive about their health. Reluctance about health and illness prevention is part of the reason behind Men’s Health Month. Men often need a series of subtle reminders to think about and prioritize their health.
According to Healthy People 2030, on average, men in the United States die nearly 6 years earlier than women and are at higher risk for many serious diseases, including heart disease, lung cancer, and HIV. Only 60 percent of men go to the doctor for an annual checkup, and 40 percent won’t go until something is seriously wrong. Mental health is also a concern in men. Interventions to reduce smoking and drinking and promote healthy behaviors also can help prevent diseases and improve men’s health.
Here are some other important considerations about men’s health:
- Blood Pressure: If you have a blood pressure of <120/80 mm Hg, it is within a normal range and it increases slightly with age. It’s important to track blood pressure because high blood pressure or hypertension (130/80 mm or higher) means the heart is working harder to pump blood and increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other diseases.
- Weight: A normal body mass index (BMI) for men is 18.5 to 24.9. For example, someone who is 6 feet tall can weigh up to 183 pounds and be considered at a healthy weight. Follow up with your doctor to understand what your appropriate weight and BMI should be. Also, a preferred cholesterol range should be less than 200 mg/dL.
- Sugar: Keeping check for high blood sugar levels with an A1C test can help screen for diabetes. An A1C result below 5.7% is considered normal, 5.7% to 6.4% may be a sign of prediabetes, and 6.5% or higher may be a sign of diabetes.
- Sleep: You should strive to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep as an adult. Poor sleep habits may bring a higher risk for chronic disease. Consult with your doctor if you are having issues getting restful sleep.
- Sex: About 30 million men have erectile dysfunction (ED) in the United States. ED may be influenced by smoking, obesity, diabetes, and sedentary lifestyle. Every man is unique, so talk with your doctor about the numbers and screenings right for you.
Resources:
Men’s Health Month 2024 Toolkit provided by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Minority Health: https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/mens-health-month-2024-toolkit
Men’s mental health facts: https://mhanational.org/infographic-mental-health-men
Music --the Soul of the Movement Past, Present and Future
"Jazz speaks for life. The blues tell the story of life's difficulties — and, if you think for a moment, you realize that they take the hardest realities of life and put them into music, only to come out with some new hope or sense of triumph. This is triumphant music." – Martin Luther King, Jr
June is Black Music Month. Black music has had an indelible impact on the Civil Rights Movement and the ongoing struggle for Black liberation. Deeply rooted in African tradition, music, and Black American resistance have gone hand in hand since before our country’s founding. Black Americans have used the power of music in countless ways; inspiring and guiding enslaved people toward freedom, forging alliances among protestors, and, most recently mobilizing millions to combat police brutality.
Music is a form of storytelling. The use of music in the Civil Rights Movement served as an essential form of communication and community building. Singers and musicians collaborated with Civil Rights leaders to share songs with activists and the community. These songs motivated them through long marches, to push through harassment and brutality, and to cope with the stress and loss of loved ones.
In the rich tapestry of historical melodies, one anthem stands resolute: "We Shall Overcome." Born from the depths of the 19th-century African American Gospel, it found its voice amidst the early throes of the Civil Rights movement. Joan Baez's rendition at the 1963 March on Washington, alongside President Lyndon Johnson's invocation of its lyrics in advocating for the Voting Rights Act of 1965, cemented its status as an emblem of the struggle.
Yet, it was not alone in its resonance. Nina Simone's "Mississippi Goddam" encapsulated the anguish of Medgar Evers' murder and the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama. Her repertoire, including "Four Women" and "To Be Young, Gifted and Black," underscored the movement's tumultuous narrative.
Preceding this era, Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" painted a chilling tableau of racial terror, evoking the haunting specter of lynching. For Holiday, it was a deeply personal lament, tethered to the memory of her father's tragic death due to racial prejudice.
The Civil Rights Movement, marked by both elation and trepidation, found solace in music's embrace. As they confronted violence and oppression, protesters found strength in song. From the fields of southern plantations to the pulsating rhythms of rock & roll, these melodies served as a beacon of unity and resilience.
Dr. King's assertion that "songs were the soul" of the movement rings true. Whether sung amidst marches or within the confines of jail cells, these anthems provided solace, courage, and a sense of collective purpose.
Across generations, the legacy of these songs endures. They serve as a testament to the enduring power of music in the pursuit of justice and equality, reminding us that the struggle for freedom knows no bounds. The power of these timeless songs will undoubtedly continue to live on to inspire future generations.
“They thought we wouldn’t fight back”: When Nature is Turned Against Us
Environmental justice, defined as having equal and open access to shape environmental protections, policies, and benefits that impact our communities, has never been a reality for people of color. In fact, it has been quite the opposite: virtually all environmental injustice in this country has been fueled by the patterns of racism and class that have existed in the United States since its founding.
It is well documented that the most marginalized communities are also the areas where waste has been stored, industrial warehouses and facilities are concentrated, and where natural resources have been exploited - by both official legislation and unofficial custom. Corporations, regulatory agencies, and local planning and zoning boards consistently target low-income communities of color when determining where to locate landfills, waste transfer stations, incinerators, garbage dumps, diesel bus and truck garages, auto body shops, smokestack industries, industrial hog and chicken processors, oil refineries, chemical manufacturers, and radioactive waste storage areas.
The environmental justice movement began in 1978 in North Carolina when that state decided to store 6,000 truckloads of soil laced with toxic PCBs in rural, poor, and overwhelmingly Black Warren County. There are countless additional examples of environmental injustices: the fifth district of Saint James Parish in Louisiana is infamously known as “Cancer Alley”; since 2014 thousands of Black children in Flint, Michigan, have been exposed to drinking water with elevated levels of lead; and in Lowndes County, Alabama, residents live with raw sewage because basic sanitation is not affordable. Studies reveal that Black people are 75% more likely to live near oil and gas refineries, leading to higher risks of premature death from power plant pollution.
While the adage “disasters don’t discriminate” may be true, we know that bad policy does. If companies are not held responsible for the pollution they cause and the government does not act to protect all citizens, we will likely have a multitude of irreversible environmental crises throughout the nation that threaten the lives of future generations.
The environmental justice movement seeks to empower disenfranchised communities to organize and get involved in decision-making processes. The physical and natural environments cannot be separated from the cultural environments which we traverse, to work, play, and and steward our most precious resources - our families.
All forms of justice must be integrated throughout all that we do. We must support organizations fighting for environmental, racial, and political justice to create a sustainable planet for us all.
"No community should be saddled with more environmental burdens and less environmental benefits than any other".
-Majora Carter
America’s Untouchables
In honor of Black History Month, Chrysalis Lab will highlight African American individuals and organizations who have made tremendous contributions to society. We continue our tribute with esteemed author Isabel Wilkerson.
Isabel Wilkerson is an impassioned voice who helps us understand how history can be used to uplift ourselves and improve our country. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing in 1994, making her the first African American female journalist to win. She then devoted fifteen years and interviewed more than 1,200 people to document the story of the Black people who defected from the Jim Crow South. This resulted in her debut work, The Warmth of Other Suns, which won a litany of literary awards. The book examined the Great Migration -- the movement north and westward by six million Black Southerners between 1910 and 1970.
Wilkerson noted that the Great Migration marks “the only time in our country’s history that American citizens had to flee the place of their birth just to be recognized as the citizens they had always been. It was the seeking of political asylum from within the borders of one’s own country.”
Her latest book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents is an expansive account of the system of divisions that govern our world. Wilkerson says racism is an insufficient term for the systemic oppression of Black people in America. Instead, she invokes the tenets of the centuries old systems of caste to explain the racial tensions and structures that undergird all aspects of American society and culture Wilkerson describes caste as an artificial hierarchy that helps determine social standing, respect, competence, and access to resources. In 2023, filmmaker Ava DuVernay wrote and directed, Origin, a biographical drama based on Wilkerson’s book.
Through her writing, Wilkerson explores the need to reconcile America’s karmic inheritance and our shared commonality. “If we truly want to end caste, each of us, every single one of us, needs to search our souls for the ways in which we may be complicit in upholding caste and stereotype and hierarchy, as our society has so cleverly trained us to do, and to consciously work against this programming in our everyday lives if we are ever to overcome it.”
Recently, there has been a staunch resistance to teaching the history of racism, caste, and slavery in our public-school systems. Many Americans find it uncomfortable to talk about the sordid parts of our past. However, all of us need to know our history in its totality. We cannot avoid our history because we are living it and we must learn from it.
A vital component of the work of Chrysalis Lab is to aid in dismantling America’s caste system by shining a floodlight on it and helping individuals and organizations confront it. We are inspired by Wilkerson’s works as it provides creative and compelling context for resolving the underlying issues that plague American society. As noted by Ava DuVernay, “this is a time when we need to be alert. We need to be aware of the stripping of freedoms and rights. The intention of certain people to distort history, to say it doesn't matter, to say it never happened. …This is the time when we have to push through our fatigue and open our eyes and engage. “
Black History Month
In honor of Black History Month, Chrysalis Lab will highlight African American individuals and organizations who have made tremendous contributions to society. We begin with Carter G. Woodson, the “father of Black history” and founder of Black History Month.
Dr. Carter G. Woodson was a distinguished Black author, editor, publisher, and historian. Woodson was born on Dec. 19, 1875, in New Canton, Virginia to parents who had been enslaved. He worked as a sharecropper and in a coal mine during his childhood. He did not begin high school until he was 20. He attended Berea College in Kentucky, obtained a master’s degree from the University of Chicago and in 1912 became the second African American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard University.
After earning his doctoral degree, no predominately White university was willing to hire him, so he taught in public schools. He later joined the faculty at Howard University as a professor and eventually as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Woodson recognized the role of Blacks in American history was being ignored or misrepresented by the academic community. Instead of becoming disillusioned, he dedicated his life to creating an institution that would make it possible for Black scholars to study history. Woodson believed that education and increasing social and professional contacts among Black and white people could reduce racism, and he promoted the organized study of African American history partly for that purpose.
Woodson established “Negro History Week” in 1926. He explained the idea behind the celebration -- “It is not so much a Negro History Week as it is a History Week,” he wrote. “We should emphasize not Negro History, but the Negro in History. What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hatred and religious prejudice.” In 1976, Negro History Week was lengthened to include the entire month of February.
In 1933, Woodson published “The Mis-Education of the Negro,” a classic work on advocating for excellence in the education of Black students. The book argued that school systems across America should correct curriculums designed to deliberately “mis-educate” Black children and promote the fallacy of white supremacy.
“If a race has no history,” Woodson wrote, “it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated.”
Dr. Woodson’s tireless work is just as relevant today as it was a century ago. In the past three years, more than half of U.S. states, including Georgia, have passed measures against the teaching of critical race theory in schools. Critical Race Theory is a framework that sees race not mainly as a biological factor, but as a social construct deeply embedded in society.
The First Amendment includes the freedom to read and learn, free from censorship. In 2024, state and local lawmakers across the country will continue their crusade against a complete, accurate, and inclusive education. This isn’t new. On many occasions throughout history, African Americans have witnessed lawmakers trampling on the US Constitution to further the aims of white supremacy. If Americans don’t defend the Constitution from those sworn to uphold it, anarchy can ensue as witnessed by the January 6th Insurrection. This battle isn’t a Black thing. Defending against censorship in public in schools is a fight for maintaining a democratic nation where all voices are valued and where history is based on truth, not “a fable agreed upon.” That’s why we’re grateful to trailblazers like Dr. Carter G. Woodson who recognized the value of inclusion in education and dedicated his life to upholding it.