Films and Documentaries
Find documentaries and movies on equity, inclusion, diversity, and belonging on E&I's Read, Watch, Listen, Engage website
Centenary of the Tulsa Race Massacre - Berkeley Conversations. a moderated panel discussion to commemorate the centenary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, which occurred in 1921 in the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma in an area known as “Black Wall Street.” Although the massacre is not found in most American history books, it is widely regarded as one of the most terrifying events of racial violence to occur in the US. Armed, white mobs murdered hundreds of Blacks and set fire to a prosperous Black area, the Greenwood District, both displacing and economically devastating thousands of Black residents. While many of the exact details are unknown, recent excavations to locate mass burial sites and interviews with descendants of Black residents are shedding more light onto these events.
400th Commemoration of Resistance to Slavery and Injustice film series – Berkeley Library
13th - a Netflix documentary exposing racial inequality within the criminal justice system
True Justice: Bryan Stevenson's Fight for Equality - HBO Now
The Kalief Browder Story - This six-episode docuseries recounts how 16-year-old Kalief Browder was accused of stealing a backpack, but went on to spend three years in prison because his family couldn’t afford his bail and the system had no place for him. Browder spent two of his three years in solitary confinement on Rikers Island without ever being convicted of a crime and died by suicide two years after his release.
I Am Not Your Negro - documentary envisioning the book James Baldwin was never able to finish
John Lewis: Good Trouble - An intimate account of legendary U.S. Representative John Lewis’ life, legacy and more than 60 years of extraordinary activism — from the bold teenager on the front lines of the Civil Rights movement to the legislative powerhouse he was throughout his career.
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975. A treasure trove of 16mm material shot by Swedish filmmakers, after languishing in a basement of a TV station for 30 years, into an irresistible mosaic of images, music, and narration chronicling the evolution one of our nation's most indelible turning points, the Black Power movement. Featuring candid interviews with the movement's most explosive revolutionary minds, including Angela Davis, Bobby Seale, Stokely Carmichael, and Kathleen Cleaver, the film explores the community, people and radical ideas of the movement. Music by Questlove and Om'Mas Keith, and commentary from and modern voices including Erykah Badu, Harry Belafonte, Talib Kweli, and Melvin Van Peebles. Available on PBS and Amazon Prime
The Black Panther. Vanguard of the Revolution
Eyes on the Prize - the preeminent documentary series on the Civil Rights Movement. Narrated by political and civil rights leader Julian Bond, this six-part, 14-hour series covers all of the major, transformative events from 1954 to 1985, including the Montgomery bus boycott in 1954, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the birth of the Black Power Movement, and the courageous acts of the crusaders that contributed along the way.
Race - The Power of an Illusion
Cracking the Codes – film by World Trust (structural racism)
Healing Justice – a film by World Trust
Whose Streets - When unarmed teenager Michael Brown is killed by police and left lying in the street for hours, it marks a breaking point for the residents of St. Louis, Missouri. Grief, long-standing racial tensions and renewed anger bring residents together to hold vigil and protest this latest tragedy. Empowered parents, artists, and teachers from around the country come together as freedom fighters. As the National Guard descends on Ferguson with military grade weaponry, these young community members become the torchbearers of a new resistance.
Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland - HBO
The House I Live In - PBS. For the past 40 years, the war on drugs has resulted in more than 45 million arrests, $1 trillion dollars in government spending, and America’s role as the world’s largest jailer. Yet for all that, drugs are cheaper, purer, and more available than ever. Filmed in more than twenty states, The House I Live In captures heart-wrenching stories of those on the front lines — from the dealer to the grieving mother, the narcotics officer to the senator, the inmate to the federal judge — and offers a penetrating look at the profound human rights implications of America’s longest war.
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson - As she fights the tide of violence against trans women, activist Victoria Cruz probes the suspicious 1992 death of her friend Marsha P. Johnson. Netflix
Fruitvale Station - A film with Michael B. Jordan about the killing of Oscar Grant
If Beale Street Could Talk. Based on a novel by James Baldwin, this film is directed by Barry Jenkins. Available on Hulu and Amazon Prime
Selma - Available on Hulu and rent on Prime Video. In 1965, an Alabama city became the battleground in the fight for suffrage. Despite violent opposition, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his followers pressed forward on an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, and their efforts culminated in President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
When They See Us - a Netflix miniseries from Ava DuVernay about the Central Park Five
Videos – Talks, Presentations
American Reckoning: A Conversation on Anti-Blackness in Post George Floyd America - A panel discussion featuring guest speakers, Rosa Clemente, Jeff Chang, Keisha Blain, and Tim Wise. This discussion will be moderated by Dr. Ula Taylor, faculty in the African American Studies department at UC Berkeley.(Spring 2021)
Thinking About Race, Racism, and Policing After the Chauvin Verdict - Berkeley Conversations. The death of George Floyd, and the many black and brown people who have died at the hands of the police before and since, require careful examination of the long history of race and racism in policing in the United States. Is meaningful reform of policing possible? Is the answer abolition and what would that mean? Some of our leading experts on campus on this topic will discuss these important questions.
Structural Racism and COVID19: The Political Divide, Re-Opening the Society and Health Impacts on People of Color(link is external) - Berkeley Conversations
Race, Law and Education – Berkeley Conversations. Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky hosts a panel focused on issues of race and the law concerning K-12 education in the United States. Speakers include:
Prudence Carter, Dean, Graduate School of Education, UC Berkeley
Chris Edley, Honorable William H. Orrick, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Law, UC Berkeley School of Law, Maria Echaveste, President & CEO, Opportunity Institute, Mark Rosenbaum, Attorney, Public Counsel (the largest pro bono law firm); and Maria Echaveste, president and CEO of the Opportunity Institute.
Race & the Environment – Berkeley Conversations. Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky hosted a discussion on race and the environment, examining issues of environmental racism and how pollution and other environmental problems disproportionately affect people of color. Speakers included: Charisma Acey, Associate Professor, UC Berkeley Department of City & Regional Planning
Claudia Polsky, Director, Environmental Law Clinic & Assistant Clinical Professor of Law, UC Berkeley School of Law
john a. powell, Director, Othering & Belonging Institute & Professor of Law, UC Berkeley School of Law
Race & the criminal justice system – Berkeley Conversations. Racism infects every aspect of the criminal justice system. A panel of UC Berkeley professors looked at issues concerning race and criminal justice.
Race, voting & elections – Berkeley Conversations. Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky with Professors Kathy Abrams, Abhay Aneja, Taeku Lee, Ian Haney López, and Bertrall Ross for a discussion of how race affects our electoral system, especially in an election amidst a pandemic.
Race, Law and Health Policy – Berkeley Conversations. COVID-19 has had a dramatically different effect on African-American and Latinx communities. This reflects enormous racial inequalities in health and health care in the United States. A panel of Berkeley professors will discuss race, law, and health policy.
Structural Racism and COVID19: The Political Divide, Re-Opening the Society and health Impacts on People of Color – Berkeley Conversations. Recent California data show that citizen perspectives on rolling back shelter in place and other public health provisions related to COVID-19 are highly politicized and racialized. This conversation featured experts john powell, Director of the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, Cristina Mora, Co-Director of the Institute of Governmental Studies, and Mahasin Mujahid, Epidemiologist, School of Public Health who explored the impact of a polarized society on COVID-19, especially for vulnerable populations.
James Baldwin's talk at UC Berkeley, January 15, 1979. in Wheeler Hall
The 1965 debate between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley
Race, Racism, and Racialization in History: An Ethnic Studies Perspective - co-sponsored by UC Berkley's Arts and Ideas Live Online(link is external), The Department of Ethnic Studies(link is external), Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies(link is external), and Islamophobia Research and Documentation Project.
UC Managing Implicit Bias Series - University of California
Moving Beyond Bias: A Pilot Program to Change Attitudes and Practices on Campus (UC and CSU)
Implicit Bias - video series – UCLA
Be a co-conspirator for racial justice (5 min video – Bettina Love)
The future of race in America – Michelle Alexander TED talk 2013
Addressing Anti-Blackness on Campus: Implications for Educators and Institutions – video/webinar
Racism has a cost for everyone - Heather McGhee TED talk May 2020
Confronting Injustice - Bryan Stevenson, SXSW talk, 2015
How Redlining Contributed to Health Disparities (July 13, 2020 | 8 min); How Redlining Contributed to Health Disparities (PDF)
MSNBC: This Is Us (August 6, 2019 | 3 min) - Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr., distinguished professor at Princeton University, attempts to answer host Nicole Wallace's question, what now?
Podcasts
Who Belongs - Othering & Belonging Institue podcast
Code Switch - Hosted by journalists of color, our podcast tackles the subject of race head-on. We explore how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports, and everything in between. National Public Radio
1619 Podcast - New York Times
Hella Black - Hella Black Podcast is an Oakland-based audio experience brought to you by Delency Parham and Blake Simons. With each episode, we hope to educate and inform our listeners on all things related to Blackness. Our podcast is important because it uplifts the voices of Black radical organizers who are doing the work in the field. Often times our narratives are not told. Both Blake and Delency are community organizers in Oakland as well as educators. They founded #PeoplesBreakfastOakland which serves the houseless population. In the wake of global white supremacy, it is important to support organizers who are in the field.
All My Relations - a podcast where exploring what it means to be a Native person in 2019. To be an Indigenous person is to be engaged in relationships—relationships to land and place, to a people, to non-human relatives, and to one another, and to think through Indigeneity in all its complexities. On each episode hosts Matika Wilbur (Tulalip and Swinomish) and Adrienne Keene (Cherokee Nation), delve into a different topic facing Native peoples today, bringing in guests from all over Indian Country to offer perspectives and stories. We dive deep, play some games, laugh a lot, cry sometimes, and hope that you’ll join us on this journey together.
Self Evident. Asian American Stories - Stories that reveal and reshape the social and political narratives that shape our past, present, and future. Each episode presents an in-depth story or conversation from specific communities within the Asian diaspora in America. We bring Asian American voices into the national conversation as they’ve never been heard before — across generations, across cultures, and across class.
70 Million - A Peabody-nominated documentary podcast investigating how locals are addressing the role of jails in their backyards. Reporters travel around the country and hear from people directly impacted by encounters with jails and adjacent policies, and from those committed to reversing the negative effects on people and communities.
12 Great Podcasts That Discuss Race and Racism in America - Oprah Magazine
Scene on Radio. Seeing White - Just what is going on with white people? Police shootings of unarmed African Americans. Acts of domestic terrorism by white supremacists. The renewed embrace of raw, undisguised white-identity politics. Unending racial inequity in schools, housing, criminal justice, and hiring. Some of this feels new, but in truth, it’s an old story. Why? Where did the notion of “whiteness” come from? What does it mean? What is whiteness for? Host and producer John Biewen took a deep dive into these questions, along with an array of leading scholars and regular guest Dr. Chenjerai Kumanyika, in this fourteen-part documentary series, released between February and August 2017. The series editor is Loretta Williams.
john powell on rejecting white supremacy, embracing belonging- Berkeley Talks
Bryan Stevenson on how America can heal - The Ezra Klein Show (Podcast)
Racism’s Punishing Reach - The Daily, New York Times
A Decade of Watching Black People Die - Code Switch podcast
‘Notice the Rage; Notice the Silence’ – On Being podcast with Resmaa Menakem June 2020 (race, trauma and the body)
Slaves of the State (2016 | 13 min) In a video presentation produced by C-SPAN, Dennis Childs, associate professor of African American Literature at UC San Diego, discusses his book, Slaves of the State: Black Incarceration from the Chain Gang to the Penitentiary, which examines how the 13th Amendment succeeds in perpetuating modern-day slavery.
We Can't Recover From This History Until We Deal With It (January 30, 2019 | 6 min) - video produced by Harvard Law with Bryan Stevenson, lawyer and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, Stevenson speaks to our country's need to talk about racism.
Ways to Help Combat Racism: 'Your Apology is Not Enough' (June 1, 2020 | 5 min) - Dr. Dayo Gore, associate professor of ethnic and critical gender studies at UC San Diego, speaks with ABC News 10 on what support looks like beyond words and marches. Ways to Help Combat Racism (PDF)