List
Racism in America: Documentaries
Documentaries about prejudice and the racial divide that still exist in this country.
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Black America since MLK: And Still I Rise
2018Get this itemHenry Louis Gates explores more than five decades of Black American history. The four, hour-long episodes are some of the most comprehensive depictions of Black American experiences ever put on film. As he always does, Gates does his best to approach this vast subject with integrity and compassion.
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The Uncomfortable Truth
2018Get this itemLike Gates' Black America Since MLK documentary, this is also an overview of racism in America. But this one goes back further....throughout the 400+ year history of slavery and into modern-day racism. A fantastic overview on an important, challenging subject.
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The Road to Brown
2014Get this itemThe "Brown" here is referring to Brown v. Board of Education, the seminal case of the Civil Rights Movement. This documentary details the legal ins and outs of this landmark case, and how much emotional persistence and personal turmoil this long legal battle left in its wake.
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Brick by Brick: A Civil Rights Story
2015Get this itemThough this civil rights case is not as Brown v. Board of Education, the documentary looks at an equal housing case from Yonkers, New York during the 1980s. With interviews from both sides of the case, the film examines this case's lasting impact on both the legal system and on racism in this county.
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The Long Shadow
2019Get this itemAlthough slavery has been over for 100+ years, much of the lasting impact of slavery still lingers today. The massive racial divide and the rise of white privilege are just two of the examples of the remnants of slavery. A profoundly powerful and necessary documentary for all to view.
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American Denial
2015Get this itemA look at a study from 1944 by Swedish sociologist Gunnar Myrdal, who posed the question: How can Americans espouse a belief in liberty, equality, and equal opportunity while enabling openly racist Jim Crow practices against Black citizens? Yes, Jim Crow is gone but much still lingers, making this documentary just as timely today as it would have been in the 1940s.
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The Strange Demise of Jim Crow
2015Get this itemSpeaking of Jim Crow practices and laws, this film looks at some of the smaller Southern towns and how they were desegregated under the radar. Could be seen as out-of-date, but some of the lessons learned here could apply to today and our continued struggles.
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Race against Prime Time
2015Get this itemA very interesting documentary about Black Americans in the media, a topic that has not been given a lot of attention, though it is as integral to the racism cause as many other aspects. In this age, media is more noticed than ever, and though this is film is from 1985, the message stands through the decades.
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70 Acres in Chicago: Cabrini Green
2019Get this itemA local story about Chicago's most famous public housing high-rise development. I watched this one mostly because of the local interest, and I'm adding it to this list because it's an excellent film that deserves to be seen. Even though it is about a specific slice of American life, its message is universal.
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