The best movies and series about racism

It’s a juvenile satire about the everyday life of students of color at an Ivy League college, who put on evidence the hidden racism of their school. It has four seasons, the two firsts being provocative, passional, and romantic. Around racism addresses homophobia, women empowerment, and biracial identity. It’s inspired by the movie with the same name that was released in 2014, but for me the best is the TV series.

It’s a biographical drama film that follows the true story of three African-American female mathematicians who worked at NASA during the early years of the U.S space program. This film shows all the challenges that Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson face daily as a segregated group, their perseverance, hard work, and struggle as black women.

It’s a period drama based on the 2009 novel of the same name, taking place in the early 60s in the deep South of the United States. It’s the history of a young white woman who decides to write a book from the viewpoint of black maids, exposing the racism they face as they work for white families, where they are tread less than human. Although it is a drama that falls into the category “White Savior Narrative” because the filmmakers center on the writer and not on the black women, I think it is a good movie to understand the black people suffering in the past and keep an eye-opener in what happens now.

It is an American six-episode limited fictionalized drama series released on Netflix in 2021. This drama explores Colin Kaepernick’s experiences as a black child adopted by caucasian parents and the situations that led him to become an activist. He narrates his own story and allows us to see crudely the differences in the treatment of a young black boy living in a “white world.” It is exceptional as it shows how his parents, no matter how much love they have for their son, do not understand what he faces every day because he is black. It’s one of my favorites.

It is an American short film inspired by the murder of George Floyd. The main character is trapped in a time loop where he encounters a cop that always ends in his death, doesn’t matter what he does. This film used, in fact, real-life scenarios where black Americans had been murdered during encounters with police. It is a challenging masterpiece to watch; the déjà vu is terrifying and brings traumatic stress.

It is a controversial TV Show that has generated different opinions. Spike Lee adapted and directed the series based on his legendary 1986 film of the same name; the principal character is Nola Darling, an artist exploring sex and open relationships with her different suitors. This show talks about polyamory and the empowerment of Afro-American women through their sexuality.

It is an American romantic comedy film that shows the struggles of Paulette in her day-to-day life, an African-American woman whose perfection is demanded by society and her family. This film addresses a vital issue: women’s pressure about their appearance. Not only does she suffer from this pressure, but because she is Afro, there is a particular issue with her hair. She has pressure to keep it straight, even though it takes time and is often painful.

A classic black feminist film that has been screened at many film festivals. This film shows the four girlfriends’ story who decides to rob banks, and its plot revolves around race, gender, sexuality, social status, state violence, and poverty. It was way ahead of its time, as it showed sisterhood among its protagonists, which was not common in films of that time.

It is a film based on the life of Richard Williams; it shows his purpose and obsession to make Serena and Venus Williams the best tennis players in history, all the challenges and difficulties they faced as an African-American family to achieve it.

It is a mix of documentary and educational comedy, made especially to highlight the contributions of the unsung heroes of black history. In which Kevin Hart plays himself.