Let me be one of the first to say that true knowledge is out there, you just have to be willing to find it.

This statement proves to be valid when the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and even some ESU classes reference or invite students to watch the enlightening, hard hitting and simply powerful documentary, “13th.”

For those who have not seen or heard of “13th,” it is a film that makes the connection between the American slave culture and the prison system. The primary theme for the documentary is to outline the many ways in which slavery has been perpetuated through mass incarceration of black and brown peoples.

The Thirteenth Amendment reads “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except 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.”

Something important to note from this amendment is that slavery is seemingly outlawed unless you are a criminal. Basically, if someone or a group of people criminalized by law, they are then placed in prison where slavery is justified.

There are many issues with this logic, but the main problem is that the white racists who participated in American slavery, are the same people who created the laws and criminalized those former slaves and their descendants.

The worse part about all of this is that it is still happening today.

Whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, a conservative or a liberal, black or white, you can’t deny the fact that crime was created to enslave people of color and sustain white supremacist ideologies.

If you don’t believe me, please do research on mass incarceration or simply watch “13th” on Netflix. Also, I would suggest for you to check out books at the ESU library or search articles on the ESU library database.

And this actually brings me to a fortune cookie a friend gave me: knowledge is priceless.

With everything that is going on with President Trump’s recent executive orders, catastrophic issues occurring in third world countries, environmental sustainability and much more, I believe that knowledge will truly be power now and in the coming years.

The fact that “13th” was filmed in secrecy shows that information and knowledge is being suppressed from many members of the society.

Now, the best part about all of this is that in this new age of knowledge, technology has sort of become the forefather for information. This means that there is no excuse for why you don’t know about the history of America or the world any longer.

In this age of knowledge, discernment will be key in finding factual information. Be hungry for information in a society that gives you all of the tools you need while distracting you with celebrity gossip and legitimate fake news.

Discern and investigate anything that is put in front of you and be another spark in the age of knowledge.