Black Lives Matter Film & TV List #1

Source: Black Lives Matter website

This article is the first in a two-part series.

Media is one of the best ways to connect with others, by learning about their experiences and struggles, to empathize with them. It is imperative that we learn about and empathize with Black communities, and then turn that knowledge into support and action. I have been working on educating myself through media, and I hope that this list will be helpful for those doing the same!

Documentaries

1. 13th (2016) is a documentary that examines the prison system in the U.S. and how it perpetuates racial inequality.
2. Who Killed Malcolm X? (2020) is a documentary detailing activist Abdur-Rahman Muhammad’s investigation into the truth about the assassination of civil rights leader Malcolm X.

TV Shows

1. Explained: The Racial Wealth Gap (2018) is an episode of the Netflix documentary series Explained, which explores a variety of subjects relevant to today. This episode discusses the causes for the racial wealth gap in the U.S., including slavery, housing discrimination, and years of inequality.
2. Dear White People (2017-Present) is the TV adaptation of the 2014 film of the same name. It is about several Black students at an Ivy League college, and how they navigate the subtle and overt racism on campus.
3. Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas (2018–2019) is an HBO show that sadly only ran for two seasons. Cenac travels to various cities to discuss prevalent issues that impact their communities and the nation as a whole. Police brutality and racism are explored, as well as issues surrounding immigration, mental health, the environment, and more.
4. The Boondocks (2005–2014) is an animated series based on a popular comic strip, which appeared on Adult Swim. It is about two brothers that move from Chicago to the suburbs to live with their grandfather. With humor similar to South Park, this show comments on racism and injustice through satire. Reviews have been mixed — some people think it is brilliant, and others find it stereotypical and not funny. I also think it’s important to note that the animation style is similar to anime. It is really cool to see an anime-style show focusing on Black characters, because that is uncommon.
5. Queen Sugar (2016-Present) is a show about the complex lives of three siblings who must reunite in order to run a sugarcane farm that they’ve inherited from their father.

Biographical Films

1. When They See Us (2019) is a drama based on the true story of the Central Park Five, five teenagers that were convicted for an assault that they did not commit.
2. Hidden Figures (2016) is a biographical drama about three Black, female mathematicians who worked at NASA, and whose calculations made it possible to launch the first American into orbit.
3. Fruitvale Station (2013) is a drama based on the true story of Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old living in the San Francisco Bay Area, who was killed by police officers on New Year’s Day at the Fruitvale subway stop.
4. BlacKkKlansman (2018) is based on the true story of Ron Stallworth, a Black police officer who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan. With the help of his white colleague Flip Zimmerman, the two plot to stop an impending attack by going undercover.
5. Just Mercy (2019) is a biography-drama about Bryan Stevenson, a civil rights defense attorney battling the odds and systematic racism in order to free a wrongly-convicted death row prisoner.

Fiction Films

1. Daughters of the Dust (1991) is a drama taking place in the early 1900’s about a family in the Gullah community on the Sea Islands off of South Carolina. They struggle with the decision to move to the mainland, and how it will further impact their cultural heritage and traditions. This is also the first film with a wide release to be directed by an African-American woman!
2. Belle (2014) is a period piece taking place in eighteenth century England about a mixed-race child named Dido, who is being raised by her wealthy great-uncle, Lord Mansfield. When Dido meets a charismatic vicar’s son who is looking to change society, the two begin working together to sway Lord Mansfield into combating slavery. Period pieces are notoriously white, so it is refreshing to see one with a non-white main character, and with a plot that actively calls out racism.
3. Do the Right Thing (1989) is a drama-comedy that takes place in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area in Brooklyn. The movie focuses on Sal’s pizza parlour, where Buggin’ Out, a local customer, complains that there should be Black actors featured on the wall in a Black neighborhood, rather than just Italian actors. Sal does not agree, and the wall becomes a symbol of racism, causing tensions to rise and ultimately boil over.
4. If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) is a drama-romance taking place in 1970’s Harlem. Tish and Fonny are two childhood friends that became a couple and are now expecting a child. They are in the middle of planning a future together, when Fonny is arrested for a crime that he didn’t commit.

What are your recommended movies and shows? Let me know in the comments!

Originally published on our WordPress website on June 23, 2020.