Review: 13th

Some movies are a warning sign to avoid repeating the past and point a different way for the future. The documentary "13th," (an Ava DuVernay project) is one of the most powerful and unsettling warning signs in recent history - a look at the injustices being perpetuated by our own constitution, and how the African American community has had to bear the weight of this. Here are just a few shocking stats from the doc:

- From 1970 to 2014, the number of people incarcerated in the U.S. has jumped from 357,292 to 2,306,200

- A white male has a 1 in 17 chance of ending up behind bars in their lifetime, whereas an African American male has a 1 in 3 chance

- The number of black prisoners now exceeds the number of enslaved blacks in 1850

Not only that but the United States only makes up a little bit less than 5% of the world's population, and yet it holds almost 25% of the world's prisoners.

The documentary doesn't beat viewers over the head with shame and guilt. It presents the facts, educates us, and invites us to change our thinking and let this reality really sink in. There were some huge gaps in my understanding of our nation's criminal justice system and my guess is this issue flies under the radar for most people. You can watch the documentary on Netflix and read this great article on the film from the LA Times to learn more.