Here Are 7 Movies To Learn More About Racism And Black History
This is a time, for white people in particular, to listen and learn.
As someone who makes streaming recommendations each week, I believe in the teaching ability of a well-made movie. If nothing else, they can be an educational starting place.
To that end, Warner Bros. just made the 2019 movie “Just Mercy” available to rent for free through June. That film stars Michael B. Jordan as civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevenson, who created the Equal Justice Initiative in 1989. The Equal Justice Initiative, a legal advocacy organization that fights for criminal justice reform, has scored a rare 100% and 4/4 stars from the nonprofit watchdog Charity Navigator. If you’re looking for places to donate, you should consider EJI.
Below, I’ve recommended seven more movies to help you understand this country’s dark history of racism, economic inequity and police brutality. They’re available on a range of platforms, including Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu.
Read on for the list and trailers. And if you want to stay informed on streaming recommendations every week, subscribe to the Streamline newsletter.
“I Am Not Your Negro”
Premise: Filmmaker Raoul Peck uses an unfinished James Baldwin project about Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. to tell a story about entrenched racism in America. All three men were close friends of Baldwin’s and were ultimately assassinated.
The documentary juxtaposes photographs and footage from Baldwin’s time with visuals of contemporary racism, such as ongoing police brutality.
Samuel L. Jackson narrates Baldwin’s words.
Watch:Amazon Prime or rent
Director: Raoul Peck
Debut date: Feb. 17, 2017
Runtime: 1 hour, 33 minutes
“13th”
Premise: After making the Martin Luther King Jr. movie “Selma,” Ava DuVernay’s next major project was this documentary about a clause in the 13th Amendment that allows involuntary servitude if it’s punishment for a crime.
After abolishing slavery, the U.S. has...
