TV-MA | Netflix | 1h 40m
Released in October of 2016
SUMMARY: A visceral, sobering history of the systemic, calculated oppression of Black Americans in the United States. This should be required viewing in High School American History classes. Note that there are graphic images and language.
KEY QUOTE: “If you dismiss black complaints of mistreatment by police as being completely rooted in our modern context then you’re missing the point completely. There has never been a period in our history where the law and order branch of the state has not operated against the freedoms, the liberties, the options, the choices that have been available for the black community. And to ignore that racial heritage, to ignore that historical context means that you can’t have an informed debate about the current state of blacks and police relationship today because this didn’t just appear out of nothing.” – Kevin Gannon, professor and author
DID YOU KNOW? We have distilled the media we have curated into guided learning paths to help you learn about racism in your preferred learning style.
More curated movies on racism:
MOVIE: LA 92
At first glace LA 92 is a history lesson about the 1992 Los Angeles riots, but just below the surface is a warning and a call for Americans to wake up. For hundreds of years Black people and people of color have complained about police brutality and, unfortunately, most of the time white people have ignored or dismissed the calls for help or justice. This indifference and callousness combined with other issues such as high unemployment, underfunded schools, and aggressive policing tactics has led to frustration which manifests itself in violence.
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MOVIE: Accidental Courtesy
Musician Daryl Davis has made it one of his life’s missions to answer the question ‘why do you hate me when you know nothing about me?’ by sitting down and talking with white supremacists and members of the Klu Klux Klan. Over multiple decades Davis has befriended numerous members of the KKK by listening and forming a relationship with people that hate him because of the color of his skin.
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MOVIE: All In – The Fight for Democracy
For many white Americans the right to vote is seemingly implicit, but the reality is that there has been, and continues to be, a focused effort to suppress voting – especially in communities of color. In fact, America was founded on voter suppression as only property owning white men could vote when the Constitution was penned.
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