One of the central tenets of Black Lives Matter is to "affirm our humanity, our contributions to this society, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression." Patrisse Cullors, one of the co-founding members of BLM, has continually centered the importance of Black joy in the present and future of this movement. In a 2019 video, Cullors said that, "this concept of Black people living joyful lives is a part of the resistance as well... We are a people who have survived and who have been at the front-lines of shifting and changing every single moment of this country. "
There are inumberable resources – films, television shows, books, essays, albums, entire musical genres – created by and about Black people in the US that have influenced and transformed our cultural narrative. Below are just a few examples of print and digital resources we currently have available in the DVC Library, as well as films available through Kanopy.
If you know of any local museum or gallery that centers Black artists that is not featured in this guide, please let us know. We intend to add to this list over time and will continue to offer relevant resources related to Black Lives Matter as the movement grows and evolves.
The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019) – Directed by Joe Talbot
Jimmie Fails dreams of reclaiming the Victorian home his grandfather built in the heart of San Francisco. Joined on his quest by his best friend Mont, Jimmie searches for belonging in a rapidly changing city that seems to have left them behind. As he struggles to reconnect with his family and reconstruct the community he longs for, his hopes blind him to the reality of his situation.
A wistful odyssey populated by skaters, squatters, street preachers, playwrights, and the other locals on the margins, The Last Black Man in San Francisco is a poignant and sweeping story of friendship, community, and the true meaning of home. Joe Talbot's directorial debut is a deep and resonant meditation on the stories we tell ourselves to find our place in the world. (Image and Description from Kanopy)
I Am Not Your Negro (2016) – Directed by Raoul Peck
An Oscar-nominated documentary narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO explores the continued peril America faces from institutionalized racism.
In 1979, James Baldwin wrote a letter to his literary agent describing his next project, Remember This House. The book was to be a revolutionary, personal account of the lives and successive assassinations of three of his close friends--Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. At the time of Baldwin's death in 1987, he left behind only thirty completed pages of his manuscript.
Now, in his incendiary new documentary, master filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished. The result is a radical, up-to-the-minute examination of race in America, using Baldwin's original words and flood of rich archival material. I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO is a journey into black history that connects the past of the Civil Rights movement to the present of #BlackLivesMatter. It is a film that questions black representation in Hollywood and beyond. And, ultimately, by confronting the deeper connections between the lives and assassination of these three leaders, Baldwin and Peck have produced a work that challenges the very definition of what America stands for.
Mavis! (2016) – Directed by Jessica Edwards
An award-winning documentary on gospel/soul music legend and civil rights icon Mavis Staples and her family group, The Staple Singers. From the freedom songs of the '60s and hits like "I'll Take You There" in the '70s, to funked-up collaborations with Prince and her recent albums with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, Mavis has stayed true to her roots, kept her family close, and inspired millions along the way. (Image and Description from Kanopy)
Nas: Time is Illimatic (2014) – Directed by Erik Parker
The story behind Nas's groundbreaking 1994 debut album 'Illmatic,' and the early life of one of the most talented rappers of all time. Featuring interviews with Pharrell Williams, Alicia Keys, Q-Tip, and Busta Rhymes. (Image and Description from Kanopy)
The Watermelon Woman (1996) – Directed by Cheryl Dunye
Cheryl Dunye plays a version of herself in this witty, nimble landmark of New Queer Cinema.
A video store clerk and fledgling filmmaker, Cheryl becomes obsessed with the "most beautiful mammy," a character she sees in a 1930s movie. Determined to find out who the actress she knows only as the "Watermelon Woman" was and make her the subject of a documentary, she starts researching and is bowled over to discover that not only was Fae Richards (Lisa Marie Bronson) a fellow Philadelphian but also a lesbian.
The project is not without drama as Cheryl's singular focus causes friction between her and her friend Tamara (Valarie Walker) and as she begins to see parallels between Fae's problematic relationship with a white director and her own budding romance with white Diana (fellow filmmaker Guinevere Turner). (Image and Description from Kanopy)
