On December 6, 1865, the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified with the sate of Georgia’s approval of the legislation, bringing a formal end to slavery. The ratification meant that, at least on paper, human beings were no longer allowed to be viewed as property and that, according to the official proclamation, “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.” The ratification made law the process set forth when Abraham Lincoln delivered the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, a largely symbolic effort but one that made the issue of slavery a focal point of the horrendously bloody Civil War. In theory, the 13th Amendment African Americans and other enslaved peoples were now free, but the reality was far more harrowing. People of color, predominantly the descendants of Africans brought to the United States centuries earlier, were the victims of unspeakable terror which included, but certainly wasn’t limited to, frequent lynchings, structural and institutionalized racism, and outright barring from much of civic and social life. And, while in many respects great progress in civil rights has been made since then, the lingering effects of the institution of slavery remain heavy, permeating all aspects of life for African-Americans today.

To some, the presence of an African-American in the Oval Office and the more frequent presence of people of color in positions of power across different industries is indicative that we do, in fact, live in a post-racial society. Others disagree vehemently, arguing that one need look no further than the disproportionate rates of disease, incarceration, and poverty along color lines to see clear and present proof that racism is still a deeply seated issue in contemporary American society. Many of today’s issues involving police brutality painfully echo the same kinds of structural racism that were lambasted during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. Just a few days ago, the nation celebrated the 60th anniversary of Rosa Parks’ refusing to move to the back of the bus, and yet here we are, mourning the deaths of Laquan McDonald and others whose lives are taken at the hands of corrupt and racist police forces across the country. Yet with each passing day, there seem to be some faint signs of forward thinking at the hands of those charged with the care of Americans’ well-being. Just today, it was announced that the Justice Department will be investigating the Chicago Police Department to discern what, if any, cover-up was carried out to brush McDonald’s videotaped murder under the rug while incumbent Mayor Rahm Emanuel ran for re-election.

150 years later, the accomplishments are aplenty, but the truth remains. All are not treated equally, and the Black Lives Matter movement is proof of our paltry performance in practicing humanity.

Read: Original article published 150 years ago in the Nation: December 6, 1865: The 13th Amendment, Prohibiting Slavery, Is Ratified

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