Black Lives Matter Movement

4 Little Girls (1997)

Documentary recalling a racially motivated 1963 church bombing that took the lives of four

children. Produced and directed by Spike Lee.

42 (2013)

Jackie Robinson breaks the MLB color barrier when he is signed to the Brooklyn Dodgers by the

team's forward-thinking general manager, Branch Rickey. The gifted athlete deals with tremendous

pressure and threats from racist fans and players.

A Raisin in the Sun (1961)

A black family living in a cramped tenement in 1940s Chicago. The film portrays Lorraine Hansberry's

backyard as a child growing up in the 1930s, her father's personal quest to own property on Chicago's

South Side and the unfortunate defiance of restrictions that confined blacks to the ghetto, and so her

family movedinto a hostile white neighborhood. Their family was eventually evicted by the Illinois

courts. Hansberry vs. Lee was her father's response to this decision which was taken all the way to

the Supreme Court. Although the Supreme Court outlawed the restricted covenant legislation,

enforcement did not follow.

Amistad (1997)

In 1839, slaves start a shipboard rebellion against their captors while en route to America. Later, a

sympathetic former slave convinces a property lawyer to prove the kidnapped Africans were

"stolen goods", and the case goes to the Supreme Court.

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

A black detective sets out to infiltrate the Colorado chapter of the Ku Klux Klan with the help of his

Jewish colleague. In the midst of the 1970s civil rights movement, they risk their lives to obtain

insider information on the violent organization.

By the People: The Election of Barack Obama (2009)

Behind-the-scenes look at Barack Obama's presidential campaign, from the election process: including

caucuses, primaries, delegates and to election day. Directed by Amy Rice and Alicia Sams.

Dear White People (2013)

A biracial college student hosts a controversial radio show that sparks an epic media frenzy at a

predominantly white university. Later elected president of an all-black residential hall, she

becomes the subject of a racially charged reality program.

Fences (2016)

Adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a black garbage collector in 1950s Pittsburgh

named Troy Maxson. Troy Maxson makes his living as a sanitation worker in 1950s Pittsburgh.

Maxson once dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player, but was deemed too old when

the major leagues began admitting black athletes.  Bitter over his missed opportunity, Troy

creates further tension in his family when he squashes his son's chance to meet a college

football recruiter.

Get on the Bus (1996)

A group of black men heads to the Million Man March. Ossie Davis, Charles S. Dutton, Andre Braugher.

Spike Lee directed.

Get Out (2017)

A black man discovers a sinister conspiracy while visiting his white girlfriend's family.

Good Hair (2009)

Comedian Chris Rock examines the role of hair in the African-American community and its far-reaching

effect on cultural identity. Also: a look at the highly competitive world of black stylists.

Green Book (2018)

A white bouncer bonds with a black musician while chauffeuring him around the Jim Crow South.

If Beale Street Could Talk (2019)

A young black couple in Harlem is ripped apart by the scheme of a racist cop. The sweethearts must

rely on the strength of their community while seeking justice.

Malcolm X (1992)

A biography chronicling the life and death of assassinated civil-rights leader Malcolm X.

Moonlight (2016)

Moonlight is the tender, heartbreaking story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across

three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love,

while grappling with his own sexuality.

Selma (2014)

Civil-rights activists march from Selma, Ala., to Montgomery to secure voting rights for black

Americans in this docudrama, which focuses on the actions of Martin Luther King Jr.

The Color Purple (1985)

This film follows the life of Celie, a young black girl growing up in the early 1900's.

The Great Debators (2007)

True story of a debate team at an all-black college in the 1930s.  A formidable debate team from

a small, all-black college in Texas whose members face down indignity, discrimination, and racial

violence to compete against the top schools in the country, the movie provides context for

studying Jim Crowe laws in the depression-era south.