Intro: Documentaries about Racism
Racism is a problem that many people know about, but wish it would just go away. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. Racism has been prevalent in our history since the first Europeans came to America and displaced indigenous people from their homes. Today, racism still exists in neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces. However, many people of color have also found success and happiness in spite of these obstacles. While our society has progressed over the centuries, there are certainly more steps to take in order to live in a free society where everyone is equal.
1. A Race for America - Documentaries about Racism
2020 was a year in which the United States faced unprecedented challenges. COVID-19 claimed hundreds of thousands of American lives and Trump's desperate last stand marked the death throes of an embattled, embittered presidency. 2020 exposed contradictions at the heart of America’s project: equality and justice for people color being denied despite 100 years passing since these were first championed by activists like Rosa Parks or Malala Yousafzai. The Big Picture is about what happens when this continues to happen every day in places all over America - as it does even now
This film goes back over a century, detailing the way that liberal order constructed by the industrial titans of early 1900s - such as Andrew Carnegie and John D Rockefeller- and philanthropic foundations they established, set in place a model of racial integration. This was an economic decision more than anything else: their goal was to keep giving profits to themselves without worrying about preserving Black lives. For these rich white men who made modern America, it seemed like an easy choice: protect the system that made them rich after all- one with racial discrimination built into it from day one
Philanthropy, in its legacy, has served the interests of US white elites. From both the left and right are those who use their wealth to maintain privilege or sometimes as a way to counteract some of the effects that come with being privileged. Philanthropic foundations on both sides have shown little interest in affecting systemic change-the modus operandi is preserving everything while occasionally working on reform within an order that was exposed during tumultuous times.
2. America's Culture War: Racism and the USA - Documentaries about Racism
One year after the death of an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, who was killed by a policeman in Ferguson, Reggie Yates examines African-Americans' position in US society. The events associated with Brown's death - and other incidents of police brutality - shocked the world and led to sustained rioting throughout Ferguson. For this episode about racial inequality among Americans today for BBC Three's This World: United States Of America Revisited series Reggie visits the small town which is at present politicised by these events on behalf of BBC One. He seeks to discover from citizens if they can ever heal their community as well as whether new recruits are being trained but goes on to explore how blacks are still discriminated against even when attaining higher ranks within law enforcement agencies.
3. Science of Racism - Documentaries about Racism
While it may seem like our brain is just categorizing, discriminating and making sense of the world around us, The Science of Racism explores how there's actually much more to that.
4. Racism in the UK - Documentaries about Racism
Imarn Ayton is a British activist who organizes demonstrations with thousands of protesters. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has not yet called her up to discuss this issue and it looks like he isn't relating to the anti-racism protests at all, as she had hoped for. The hope for Imarn was that these protests would result in effective policies; however, Boris Johnson responded by creating a commission on combating race discrimination which doesn't seem doing anything different from what previous commissions have done before — those proposals still haven’t been put into practice. DW's Birgit Maass accompanied Ayton through the week of protest where they discussed Britain's colonial past and how it shaped today's society inequities--something we SHOULD be looking at harder now!
5. Racism in Germany - Documentaries about Racism
Racism in Germany is also an issue. Afro-German girls and women share their experiences of racism that they encounter on a day to day basis. Twelve year old Besong, the top student in her class often feels like teachers ignore her when she talks during discussions or doesn't get answers to questions asked. Kalsoumy will start university soon but upon applying for apartments or internships there's never any guarantee that it wasn't because prejudice was at play against them as well. Ana tells about how not only does people question where she comes from with "Where do you originally come from?" but everyday occurrences such as stares on the subway and fear of violence when walking home through park at night make this questions feel more personal than just another human saying hello passing by.. How can change finally happen?
Conclusions: Documentaries about Racism
Racism is real and it’s a problem we need to address. But the good news is that there are a lot of films out there that explore the subject matter and help us understand how we can work to fix it.
The films in this list are not only powerful, they’re also illuminating. There are documentaries about racism in America and films that explore the impact of racism. We’ve also included films that cover racism today and offer us a glimpse into what the future may hold if we don’t take steps to stop it.
It’s never too late to start learning about this, and these films are a great place to start.
Images credits: Unsplash.com