The term “woke” may be seen as a dirty word nowadays in certain corners of the country, but initially, the term meant that you were socially aware of injustice. In fact, if you want to continue believing that to be the meaning of the word, then so be it. In other words, just because somebody else doesn’t agree with your point of view, that doesn’t mean that you’re wrong. It just means that you see things differently. And that’s what each one of these movies does. By exploring race and injustice, they show things differently than what you might be accustomed to. Because, as far as we’ve come as a country, race is still, unfortunately, a sticky subject.
That’s why movies are often so important, especially ones that tackle race and social justice. They create a window into lives that you might not completely understand, but want to. And, if you do want to understand another race, then you’re probably “woke,” whether you like to believe it or not. But, honestly, is that such a bad thing? To be socially aware of others? We don’t think so, and neither do these movies.
Just Mercy (2019)
In this powerful legal drama (and true story), Michael B. Jordan plays Bryan Stevenson, a real lawyer who worked tirelessly to get death row inmate Walter McMillian (played by Jamie Foxx, who Jordan always wanted for the role) released for a murder he didn’t commit. Just Mercy’s story may take place in 1989, but its events still ring true today. At times frustrating to watch, given everything McMillian had to go through, the film is a textbook study on how the criminal justice system is flawed, and how we still have a ways to go before we can have true equality for everyone.
Rent or buy Just Mercy on Amazon Prime
The Hate U Give (2018)
Based on the novel of the same name by Angie Thomas and directed by George Tillman Jr., The Hate U Give is about a girl named Starr Carter (played by Amandla Stenberg) who witnesses the death of her friend at the hands of a cop. Her journey is a mostly internal one, with this question hanging at the center of it—Should she remain silent about what she saw, or should she testify and potentially get slandered herself? The answer isn’t completely clear-cut.
Rent or buy The Hate U Give on Amazon Prime
Selma (2014)
In this unique approach to a biopic from director Ava DuVernay, Selma chronicles a groundswell effort by Dr. King (played by David Oyelowo) and many others as they fight to make it easier for Black people to vote in Selma, Alabama. Many sacrifice their safety as they walk together, arm-in-arm, from Selma to Montgomery, and the film makes a point to show how politics played a large role in shaping the Civil Rights Movement in this country. Though it’s a great movie to watch on Martin Luther King Jr., it's honestly a great movie to watch any day of the year because its message remains the same – never give up fighting for what’s right.
Stream Selma on Netflix
Stream Selma on Paramount+
Loving (2016)
Directed by Jeff Nichols, and starring Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga, this true story centers around Richard Loving (Edgerton) and Mildred Loving (Negga), an interracial couple who got national attention for fighting to stay married. The state of Virginia didn’t allow interracial marriage back in the late ‘50s, and police even threw them both in jail due to them having children together. As somebody who is actually in an interracial marriage, this movie resonates on so many different levels for me. In the end, true love lives on, but at what cost?
Rent or buy Loving on Amazon Prime
If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
Based on the James Baldwin novel of the same name and directed by Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk (which we gave a stellar review upon release) is the story of two lovers named Clementine “Tish” Rivers (played by Kiki Layne) and Alonzo “Fonny” Hunt (played by Stephan James). Alonzo is in jail for a crime he didn’t commit, and Tish is pregnant with his child. Tish wants to have Alonzo freed so he can see the birth of their child, but she faces hurdles along the way. This movie is relevant today, even though it takes place in the ‘70s, because Fonny is wrongly convicted, and racism definitely plays a part in that conviction.
Stream If Beale Street Could Talk on Hulu
Fruitvale Station (2013)
Another film starring Michael B. Jordan, this one by Ryan Coogler, director of the Black Panther films, Fruitvale Station is a tough film to watch, especially if you’re already aware of the events in question. This film, based on a true story, chronicles the short life of Oscar Grant, a young man killed by a police officer at Fruitvale Station in San Francisco. The movie is hard to stomach, especially because it gives us a glimpse at Oscar's life, only to show him having that life snuffed out unjustly.
Stream Fruitvale Station on MAX
BlacKkKlansman (2018)
Directed by Spike Lee, and starring John David Washington and Adam Driver, this story based on the memoir by Ron Stallworth is about a Black detective (Washington) who works with a white detective (Driver) to infiltrate the local chapter of the KKK, and take it down from the inside. At times, the film makes the KKK look both comical in their idiocy, but also frightening in their power, especially when it comes to locals hiding behind a hood. It’s one of Spike Lee’s most relevant movies in a whole career’s worth of relevant movies, so you know it’s definitely worth a watch.
Rent or buy BlacKkKlansman on Amazon Prime
Do The Right Thing (1989)
Another Spike Lee Joint, Do the Right Thing wasn’t even nominated for Best Picture (but should have been) back when it came out in 1989. Today, it would probably win the top prize. It takes place in a single, simmering day in a Brooklyn neighborhood and showcases the racial tension that exists within it. The story also deals with gentrification, making it almost like a time capsule for the Brooklyn we have today. The film is relevant for many reasons, but mostly because of its brutal ending, which also concerns a police officer using excessive violence against a person of color.
Stream Do the Right Thing on Amazon Prime
12 Years A Slave (2013)
This 2013 film (which we gave a 5 star review) won the Academy Award for Best Picture and a Best Supporting Actress Award for Lupita Nyong’o. 12 Years a Slave, directed by Steve McQueen, tells the true story of Solomon Northup (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free man who was captured and sold into captivity for 12 years, as the title suggests. It’s a gruesome film to watch, as it fully details the harsh realities of slavery, and by the end of it, you don’t feel any sort of catharsis or happiness. Just depression. The movie is still relevant, because many will tell you that the events of slavery still impact African Americans today. Watch it for historical purposes, not for enjoyment.
Rent or buy 12 Years a Slave on Amazon Prime
I Am Not Your Negro (2016)
Another film based off of James Baldwin’s writings (this one on his unfinished memoir, Remember This House), I Am Not Your Negro is a documentary directed by Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck, which attempts to finish the memoir and connect it to today’s events, such as the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, it goes over Baldwin’s personal thoughts on his contemporaries, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Medgar Evers, all of whom were assassinated. The documentary is relevant today, as it’s important to often look to the past in order to possibly understand the future.
Rent or buy I Am Not Your Negro on Amazon Prime
Detroit (2017)
In this harrowing film directed by Kathryn Bigelow, and starring the likes of John Boyega, Will Poulter, and Anthony Mackie, this story centers around the 12th Street Riot that actually occurred in Detroit back in 1967. Amidst the rioting, a Black R&B group headed into a motel, and after one of them fired a starting pistol as a prank, the police swarmed the building, and started firing at the people inside. The rest that follows features police corruption, racism, and all manner of other subjects that are difficult to sit through if you’ve ever felt intimidated by the police. An important watch that still feels relevant today.
Stream Detroit on Amazon Prime with a free trial of Movie Sphere+
The Learning Tree (1969)
In this period piece (which takes place in the 1920s) directed by Gordon Parks, The Learning Tree follows a black teenager named Newt Winger (played by Kyle Johnson) who has to grow up quickly following a series of events involving murder and race-blaming. This film bears the distinction of being the first film directed by an African American for a major studio, and it deals with issues that many young, African American males still have to confront today, such as whether or not we can trust that the legal system will do the right thing if we come forward to report a crime.
Rent or buy The Learning Tree on Amazon Prime
Killer Of Sheep (1978)
Directed by Charles Burnett, Killer of Sheep is a film about African American culture in Los Angeles. The story—what story exists, since a lot of it is disjointed—is about a man named Stan (played by Henry G. Sanders) who works in an abattoir. But, because of the repetition of senseless killing he performs at his job, he’s become disconnected with the family that he’s working so hard to support. I take it that there's a deeper message to Killer of Sheep about the brevity of life, but there's also the message about the stark realities of what it means to be African American, and how life is different in many ways from other Americans, and yet, somewhat similar.
Dear White People (2014)
Satire can be a powerful tool if used correctly, and Dear White People is a great example of that. The story concerns a predominantly white Ivy League school and some of its Black students. Tessa Thompson (swoon) and many other Black stars show that even in the elite schools, there are still going to be racial issues.
Stream Dear White People on MAX
Ken Burns: The Central Park Five (2012)
This is the true story of five Black and Latino teenagers who were wrongly accused of raping a jogger in Central Park. At the time of this film’s release, it was the first time the teenagers’ side of the story was shown. There is also a highly watched series on Netflix called When They See Us centered around the events that is very difficult to watch for the first time. Both are worthy watches and make for good companion pieces.
Buy The Central Park Five on Amazon
Stream When They See Us on Netflix
Queen & Slim (2019)
Directed by Melina Matsoukas, and starring Jodie Turner-Smith and Daniel Kaluuya, this Black Bonnie and Clyde story is about two people who fall in love while on the lam. It all starts after “Slim” kills a police officer (in self-defense) after the officer shoots “Queen” in the leg, which ignites a multi-state manhunt for the two. Queen & Slim is like what The Hate U Give would be like if it was a revenge thriller. That said, it still has a great deal to say about how some cops don’t exactly follow the rules when it comes to law enforcement.
Rent or buy Queen & Slim on Amazon Prime
13th (2016)
This depressing documentary by Ava DuVernay that gets its title from the 13th Amendment, which ended slavery, goes into how Black people in this country are overwhelmingly pushed into the prison system. It posits that slavery is actually still ongoing, but it's just been given a different name—incarceration.
Moonlight (2016)
Another Barry Jenkins movie, Moonlight won the Academy Award for Best Picture (and deserved to win), and also netted Mahershala Ali an Academy Award, making him the first Muslim to win an acting Oscar. Moonlight is a very special movie since it tackles homosexuality, which is unfortunately still somewhat taboo in the African American community. The film took a brave approach, and was thankfully rewarded for it.
Rent or buy Moonlight on Amazon Prime
Rustin (2023)
Directed by George C. Wolfe, produced by Barack and Michelle Obama, and starring Chris Rock, Aml Ameen, Audra McDonald, Jeffrey Wright, and an exceptional Colman Domingo in the titular role, the movie tells the story of how Bayard Rustin helped organize the famous March on Washington with Dr. King. That said, it also gets into how Rustin was not only looked down upon as a Black man, but also as a gay man, sometimes within his own race. All the same, Rustin still believed in the cause (and himself), which makes this an inspirational film that also doubles as a great movie about the Civil Rights Movement.
Get Out (2017)
And finally, one of the biggest movies about race to ever go mainstream, the Academy Award-nominated Get Out from Jordan Peele (who has never made a bad movie) has probably said more about the hypocrisy of white Liberalism and its intersection with black culture than any other film in American history. The movie is about 50% humorous, 50% terrifying, and 100% insightful. You’ve probably already seen it, but see it again. It has layers and there’s probably still a lot for you to uncover.
Rent or buy Get Out on Amazon Prime
There are plenty of other movies that explore race and social justice (and feature other races besides Black people), but we decided to spotlight these 20. Remember, stay woke.
