Hot Mess Millionaire

Sis, the 13th Amendment abolished slavery — with one caveat: except if a former slave committed a crime. Laws were then put in place to have Black Men locked up for the tiniest infraction, mistakes, or missteps. Now, Black Men are still the workhorse for White wealth. This week, Dr. Venus breaks it down very slowly so we can get an understanding of what the Black Man’s existence has been like since 1831, and how they have been forced to do labor: from peonage to convict leasing to simply stealing. The practice of enslaving Black Male bodies as free labor is as alive as real in 2021 as it was in 1831. Black Men are not afforded the freedom or opportunity to work for THEIR families or THEIR wealth, only for White Men through everything from the jail system to entertainment. Let’s talk about it.

Key Takeaways:

[2:33] In the 13th Amendment, after slavery was abolished, there was a clause that stated people cannot be enslaved unless they commit a crime. That crime could be anything from having papers on you to being on someone else’s property, to even sneezing the wrong way. That became the basis of criminalizing Black Men, so much that it wasn’t as much about the crime as it was replacing the labor force that was lost with the abolition of slavery.

[5:37] Black Men have been blocked from every possible avenue of making their own money legally since 1831.

[8:32] Dr. Venus explains why she is sick and tired of Black Men being the scapegoat, and for people saying she is just making excuses for them. Not many account for what he has to go through just to stay alive and sane. It’s also not common for people to think about what he needs in terms of actual medical care, mental health help, or more resources to just succeed.

[9:38] They created what we now call the penal system and a structure that puts Black Men in prison. His body can now be used for labor by the state and by private companies (owned by White Men), so much so that the prison industrial complex is actually traded on the stock market.

[10:18] In 1946, California State camp programs used inmates as firefighters, but once they got released, the felony on their record prevented them from going out and getting work in that skill or trade.

[16:38] We tend to blame the artist or rapper for putting out harmful lyrics and music, but how come no one points the blame at the record company or the larger powers that distribute this “dangerous” music?

[17:54] There’s no conversation about Black Men as people, only as providers and protectors. And if he messes up, then we take away everything he has.

[19:22] While Black Women are now the most educated group in North America and the fastest-growing in the entrepreneurial space, Black Men aren’t afforded the same opportunities and education.

[20:37] One of the benefits Dr. Venus loves about being Black is how our ancestors knew they were not their bodies. They knew they were spiritual beings having a human experience. We come from a people who are spiritually grounded.

[24:42] Black Men are positioned by the media in a way that makes them violent or sexualized. What they don't tell you is that that positioning is designed to flood the market to have Black boys continue to see themselves a certain way, which then will have them acting out. Then, they are pulled out of class, unable to continue their education, and need to go make money in a way that ends up with them getting picked up by the police and working for the government.

[27:00] As Black Women, we have not looked at the social structures that have created a level of depression, anxiety, trauma, and mental unwellness with Black Men.

[28:16] If a Black Man cannot make money for himself legally, he’s going to make it another way to take care of his family or himself. When he does that, it gives White Supremacy a reason to enslave him and monetize him in a way that does NOT account for him as a human being.

[30:28] Black Men were sexually exploited. They were forced to have sex with females White people put in front of them in order to produce more free labor.

[34:41] Black Men are wounded, just like you. Just like all of us. To heal, we are going to have to come together and give Black Men grace and compassion.

Quotes:

• “We don’t relate to Black Men as people. We relate to them the way White Supremacy has taught us to.”
• “When we penalize Black Men, we become the extension of White Supremacy in our relationships. We police them, we correct them. We speak down to them as if they are stupid. They are not stupid. They are wounded and hurt.”
• “Our ancestors knew they were not their bodies. They knew they were spiritual beings having a human experience. We come from a people who are spiritually grounded.”
• “Black Women, we have not looked at the social structures that have created a level of depression, anxiety, trauma, and mental unwellness with Black Men.”
• “We have been so pimped by White Supremacy that we have very little compassion for what Black Men go through.”
• “Look at the lessons and all the pain. There are plenty and their blessings from the pain. Personally, I think the pain is God's training ground for your calling.”

Mentioned:

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RESOURCES

1. Convict Leasing
2. Fact check: Southern states used convict leasing to force Black people into unpaid labor
3. Was Convict Leasing Just Legalized Enslavement? - ThoughtCo

TIMELINE

1. 1881 to 1900 | African American Timeline: 1850-1925 | Articles and Essays | African American Perspectives: Materials Selected from the Rare Book Collection | Digital Collections | Library of Congress
2. 1901 to 1925 | African American Timeline: 1850-1925 | Articles and Essays | African American Perspectives: Materials Selected from the Rare Book Collection | Digital Collections | Library of Congress
3. Race Relations in the 1930s and 1940s
4. Change in the Labor Market For Black Americans, 1948-1972
5. Black-white wage gaps expand with rising wage inequality | Economic Policy Institute
6. Mental Health and The School to Prison Pipeline
7. How the Black Man Became Schizophrenic | Psychology Today
8. Metzl, Jonathan. The Protest Psychosis: How Schizophrenia Became a Black Disease | Richardson | Disability Studies Quarterly

HIP-HOP MUSIC AS SHARECROPPING & PEONAGE

1. Stop Blaming Rappers for a Problem America Created
2. Are Rappers truly rich?
3. Kanye’s Contracts Reveal Dark Truths About the Music Industry | by Annia Mirza | Dialogue & Discourse | Medium

ATHLETES WORKHORSE FOR WHITE WEALTH

1. Race, money, and exploitation: why college sport is still the ‘new plantation’ | College football | The Guardian
2. Athletes As Slave Labor
3. Why are black males supported only when they’re athletes?
4. Is the NFL exploiting black players? | The Tylt

ENTERTAINMENT EXPLOITATION OF BLACK MALES

1. Media Portrayals and Black Male Outcomes | The Opportunity Agenda