Black Film/TV Recs
LUX stands in support and solidarity with those in the Black community. Racism and violence inspired by racism are still alive today, and it is imperative that we all take a stand for a better future. To educate and inspire conversations about real, uncomfortable, but important histories and issues, we have compiled a list of films about the Black experience that you may find relevant, insightful, or impactful. Some of the films in this series of recommendations have come from the Anti-Racism Resources doc.
Black lives matter.
The Hate U Give
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Directed by George Tillman Jr., Starr Carter is constantly switching between two worlds: the poor, mostly black, neighborhood where she lives and the rich, mostly white, prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressures from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what's right. Stream on Prime Video and HBO Max. Image source: rogerebert.com. Description source: IMDB.
Resource Rec
NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. Aims to make structural changes to expand democracy, eliminate disparities, and achieve racial justice in a society that fulfills the promise of equality for all Americans.
I Am Not Your Negro
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I Am Not Your Negro envisions the book James Baldwin never finished, a radical narration about race in America, using the writer’s original words, as read by actor Samuel L. Jackson. Alongside a flood of rich archival material, the film draws upon Baldwin’s notes on the lives and assassinations of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. to explore and bring a fresh and radical perspective to the current racial narrative in America. Rent on Prime Video. Image and description source: PBS.
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Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Supports students attending its 47 member-schools that include public historically black colleges and universities, medical schools, and law schools.
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975
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With fresh and candid archival footage, The Black Power Mixtape looks at the people, society, culture, and style that fueled an era of convulsive change. Stream on Amazon Prime Video, iTunes. Image and description source: PBS.
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Facing History And Ourselves seeks to educate students of all backgrounds about the history of racism, prejudice, and anti-Semitism.
Chi-Raq
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Directed by the critically acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee, Chi-Raq is a modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek play “Lysistrata” by Aristophanes. After the murder of a child by a stray bullet, a group of women led by Lysistrata organize against the on-going violence in Chicago’s Southside creating a movement that challenges the nature of race, sex and violence in America and around the world. Stream on Amazon Prime. Image source: SharpMagazine. Description source: Amazon Prime.
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Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence
Moonlight
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Directed by Berry Jenkins. A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood. Stream on Netflix. Image source: Medium. Description source: IMDB.
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Center for Black Equity. Org focused on Black LGBT+ community.
King in the wilderness
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King in the Wilderness chronicles the final chapters of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life, revealing a conflicted leader who faced an onslaught of criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. While the Black Power movement saw his nonviolence as weakness, and President Lyndon B. Johnson saw his anti-Vietnam War speeches as irresponsible, Dr. King’s unyielding belief in peaceful protest became a testing point for a nation on the brink of chaos. Stream on HBO Max.
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National Civil Rights Museum. Explores the history of the Civil Rights Movement and its impact on our culture today. Located at the site of MLK’s assassination.
13th
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Directed by Ava DuVernay. In this thought-provoking documentary, scholars, activists and politicians analyze the criminalization of African Americans and the U.S. prison boom. Stream on Netflix. Image source: RogerEbert.com. Description source: Netflix.
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The Bail Project. This national organization is fighting against mass incarceration in the US. They pay bail for those in need. Since bail money is returned at the end of a case, the money is reused to pay bail for more people.
When They See Us
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Directed by Ava DuVernay. When They See Us is based on events of the April 19, 1989, Central Park jogger case and explores the lives of the suspects, five young men of color, who were prosecuted on charges related to the sexual assault of a female victim, and of their families. Stream on Netflix.
Resource Rec
The Innocence Project. Uses DNA testing to exonerate men and women wrongly convicted by the justice system.
If Beale Street Could Talk
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Written and directed by Barry Jenkins. Based on the novel by James Baldwin, "If Beale Street Could Talk" is a soulful drama about a young couple fighting for justice in the name of love and the promise of the American dream. Stream on Hulu, Rent on Amazon Prime.
Resource Rec
Common Ground Foundation