In Brazil, November 20th is designated as Black Consciousness Day, or Black Awareness day. It’s a way in the country for people to celebrate and recognize the value of the black community to the country.
So, in honor, we selected 8 excellent movies for you to understand more about racism and slavery, also starred by black actors. Let’s get into it!
- 12 Years A Slave (2014)
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The first on the list is from the year 1841. A free black man, who has a wife and children, accepts a job in another city, but when he gets there he is kidnapped and chained up. Thus, he is sold as if he were a slave, and Solomon Northup must deal with physical and moral humiliation in order to survive. Over the course of twelve years, the film shows the character’s trajectory within two farms, where each one explores his services.
- BlacKkKlansman (2018)
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Now, the most recent movie on this list! The script is based on the story of a black policeman who, in 1978, manages to infiltrate the local Ku Klux Klan. They communicate with each other by phone calls and letters, and when he needed to appear in person, he would send a white co-worker in place. After months of investigating, he becomes close to the leader and manages to sabotage a series of hate crimes orchestrated by the racists.
- I Am Not Your Negro (2016)
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From reports of the lives and murders of great black activist leaders like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., producer Raoul Peck manages to use James Baldwin’s unfinished book on American racism to examine various racial issues still present in the country.
- Hidden Figures (2016)
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With a great female and black protagonism, the plot is based on the story of a group of NASA scientists, formed only by women of African descent, who played a crucial role during the space race between the U.S. and Russia during the Cold War. Depicting how women led one of the largest technological operations recorded in American history, becoming heroines of the nation.
- To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)
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A movie classic and winner of several awards To Kill a Mockingbird is narrated through the eyes of children a lawyer in a city full of prejudice in the south of the United States, while he defends a black farmer who was being accused of rape. During the plot, he has to face prejudices, assaults and false accusations in order to try to prove the innocence of his client.
- 13th (2016)
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In a more documental fashion, several scholars, activists and political figures analyze the relationship between the criminalization of the black population in the U.S. and the country’s prison system, highlighting deep-rooted structural racism.
- A Raisin In The Sun (1961)
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Another old movie, this drama portrays an African American family living in Chicago, the Youngers. After their father’s death, there is a clash about what to do with the life insurance payment, which highlights two distinct visions of the American dream.
- The Help (2011)
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The last one on the list puts us in the mid 60s, in Mississippi. There, a white girl from high society decides to become a writer and begins to interview and tell the stories of black women in the city who decided to leave their own lives to care for the children of the white elite.
November may be a month dedicated especially to the black cause and movement, but we must respect and value them all year round. By watching movies like the ones listed above, we enter a reality that can be completely different from ours, and we start to sympathize with the pain and struggle of others. May (and every month) of this year, in such a hectic year, serve to preach awareness and respect with the black community around the world.
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The article above was edited by Laura Silveira.
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