Support Black Lives Matter From Your Couch With These 10 Must-Watch Movies and Shows
If you’re wondering what more you can do to support the Black Lives Matter movement, we have a suggestion.
Do you love marathons (on Netflix)? Do you believe #BlackLivesMatter? Do you want to grow as a person, better understand systemic racism, and help create a culture of compassion? If your answer to any of those questions was affirmative, then be sure to watch these illuminating, informative movies that empower Black bodies and voices:
- 13th (2016), directed by Ava DuVernay
- Do The Right Thing (1989), directed by Spike Lee
- Malcolm X (1992), directed by Spike Lee
- Freedom Riders (2010), directed by Stanley Nelson
- Fruitvale Station (2013), directed by Ryan Coogler
- Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story (2018), directed by Jenner Furst
- Seven Seconds (2018), directed by Yeena Sud
- I Am Not Your Negro (2016) directed by Raoul Peck
- Get Out (2018) directed by Jordan Peele
- Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement (2016), directed by Laurens Grant
Just learned that @ava‘s tremendous documentary 13th is avail FREE on YouTube (in addition to netflix) so you have no excuse not to watch.
Learn about the prison industrial complex, how prison is the new slavery, & the history that’s lead to this moment.https://t.co/ouLrhtjxIL pic.twitter.com/QzC4ihUMjc
— Zach Kornfeld (@korndiddy) June 5, 2020
Netflix recognizes their enormous platform and encourages customers to use the media service as an educational tool, to watch films that address this culture of contempt and better understand the scope of systemic racism.
To be silent is to be complicit.
Black lives matter.We have a platform, and we have a duty to our Black members, employees, creators and talent to speak up.
— Netflix (@netflix) May 30, 2020
After a long day of advocating for racial justice, participating in protests or other racial equity initiatives, when your warm blanket and perfect couch are calling to you, the fight for racial justice continues. Even when you need to re-charge and collect yourself, and take a moment to sit alone with your thoughts, you can still educate yourself from the safety and comfort of your own home. There are numerous documentaries, movies, and television shows that tackle the issue of racial injustice and enable us to better understand the Black Lives Matter movement.
Hollywood, a traditionally white space that often fails to represent black bodies or struggles, has seen a flood of revolutionary films in recent years. Hollywood has also seen a resurgence of older films that address relevant, consistently unvoiced issues regarding racial inequity.
I know y’all love to binge the office. Start binging some education:
13th – Netflix
When They See Us – Netflix
Just Mercy – Amazon Prime
The Skin We’re In – CBC
The Murder of Fred Hampton – Amazon Prime
Dark Girls – Amazon Prime— Casey Gardner (@caseygardnerr) June 4, 2020
The aforementioned movies, documentaries, and television shows are great ways to initiate difficult conversations with friends and family, and to delve into a challenging, yet fruitful discourse regarding race. In order to erase the ugly blemishes of bigotry that scar the face of America, we must educate ourselves and others. Embracing discomfort is a small price to pay in order to cancel this culture of racial intolerance. We are living in a time of poisonous politics: Open dialogues regarding race and educative efforts to enlighten ourselves and others on the movement are essential. Pick up the remote or login into your Netflix account and start now.
I am a plucky Sophomore at Wesleyan University with a passion for writing, fashion, running, and extremely strong coffee—so strong that it would make a 6’5’’ WWE wrestler weep. I am a small person with a big personality, only intensified by the coffee, that seeps into both my bold street and writing style. I am currently based in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area and am excited to work for such an empowering, female-focused publication. During this trying time in history it is more important than ever for women to continue lifting each other up and spreading positive energy!
