hello everyone my
name is Kimora Akin and before we start
today speech I would like to tell you all about a man
named Roosevelt Aiken senior mr.
Aiken here went from Jennifer
services in 1973 to creating a program
for delinquent teens and Ridgeland South Carolina Jasper
County Courthouse with
Jasper
County facing many great racial tensions
which direction is my grandfather
my grandmother was told me a story about him
and how he had to go down to the basement just
use the bathroom I thought how silly and ridiculous
as well as a child and I didn't
really quite understand until I was old
growing up
as an African American women in United States of America I
begin to ask myself questions about my people's
history for example why
were African Americans enslaved
how are times during slavery
different now that were free and
do the 13th Amendment I was able to answer all these questions and
without the 13th Amendment my grandfather
not have been able to have this job
but that's all being said
I like to raise you one final question how did the
13th shape today's America
but understand this question we
need to understand how this memory came to be
slavery was established in 1640
in the year 1865
effectively ended slavery in any involuntary
servitude in the United States for
264 years yes
that's right 264
years African Americans were Enslaved the United States
and with the 13 be written as the first of
three reconstruction amendments to be ratified during the
Civil War but slavery still
existed in American colonies despite our Newfound Independence
13th
Amendment States slavery
voluntary servitude of
the party shopping punishment for crime
in United States to be duly convicted
section 2 of the 13th Amendment States Congress
shall have power to administrate this by appropriate
legislation
domestic slave still existed the northern
colonies many
do not know but what's most dependent upon is
southern colonies on plantations and as
laborers according
to National Geographic the word slave
I'm not used in the newly-formed United States Constitution
we are recalled as
unfree persons we
were considered equal we were considered a
person or treated like
mothers and daughters sons and fathers
families torn apart by
this cruel and unusual punishment in the United States
we're forgotten
about no man that claims to be for the free and for the people
not reaching a
4 million and 1861 the
issue was then brought the climax by abolitionist who is Frederick
Douglass who was also a free black man during this time
who brought the issue to the president during this time
Abraham Lincoln in 1860
and later in the months following his
the southern states seceded and formed the
Confederate States of America because
they're not willing to give up their slaves
North or South progress
and War when the Americans have never seen
simple issues of slavery
in 1862 Abraham
Lincoln issued the Emancipation
Proclamation which ended slavery in Southern States
and
this Proclamation anger Southern is because blank
from the get-go said that he would never get rid of this house
slave and with this and freeze them
and after that another Proclamation
then granted amnesty to Southern states that abolished
slavery and returned to
the union peacefully so in other words
Malaysian Grand Mac back into the Union but
unfortunately Southern States we're not going
to agree with this and
in the end had no choice but to back down against
the North
even after the 13th Amendment made
real eagle and the war was
over and it's just begun for newly freed black people
this country was built on the
back of slaves was free or free the five
for Isis rigorous with
lodging pass that are racially biased
Jim Crow laws and state sinks in labor practices
such as convict leasing put many black
Americans into a body trailer for years
to understand the simple important that
the 13th amendment has an African American culture is
alone this amendment Started Black History
without it
I wouldn't be able to stand here today and
this free world our history
has been written over and tossed aside for years which
is why there is a Black History Month which is cell
in the month of February the amazing devices
and ideas that black people have created
we have been
treated unfairly by the system which
is a word for that did you know call
systemic racism which is the four
racism and better the society which is the
type of discrimination found an employment housing
Healthcare political
representation an education
in the criminal justice system especially
this is that what this is
slavery was abolished were once
quoted on this and said you can
call institutionalized racism or institutionalized
in equality but what I say is
that any system that works to maintain an
equality is a corrupt system and must be a
from the voting
rights are black men 1878 to
the underlook trials such as the Central Park five
in 1985
black people have died with a bunch of hair treatment by the system
and the same exact year
the black man getting the right to vote literacy
test and poll taxes were then set up against
us because black people did not have the means to
gain an education and learn how to read
a right then I have the means to pay
for the poll taxes
to disencourage this
is encouraged black people to vote
this axe is called the Voting Rights
Act and is not in until nineteen
sixty-five 95 years later
95 years African Americans have been discouraged
to vote in the United States our voices
have been silenced
we're not able to vote without such hurdles
in our way and see if your child such as drug slice
case be put to rest
how to answer the question how
did the 13 shakes days America
this document paved the way for me to stand
here today are presented to you and
get an education in a free world America
has been shaped in a way that black history is a
making history so a black history is
American history why is it only acknowledged
for 28 days out of the whole year
thank you