Research Guides: Anti-Racism: Videos

Streaming Video & Film

Videos below are generally available with unlimited streaming access but require an active internet connection to stream. Some titles are purchased with one-year licenses, so if you are using them in a course, please contact us to make sure our license will remain valid for the dates required.

This is just a small sample of the titles available, search within any of the platforms to find more titles or to suggest other purchases.

More titles will be added here as they are made available.

Videos in Kanopy

Black Lives Matter collection on Kanopy: https://evergreen.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://evergreen.kanopy.com/category/49044

Current students, faculty, and staff may make Kanopy purchase requests. We purchase most requested titles within 72 hours.

Precious Knowledge Fighting for Mexican American Studies in Arizona Schools Dos Vatos
Publication Date: 2011
Expires: 08/12/2020
Precious Knowledge reports from the frontlines of one of the most contentious battles in public education in recent memory, the fight over Mexican American studies programs in Arizona public schools. The film interweaves the stories of several students enrolled in the Mexican American Studies Program at Tucson High School with interviews with teachers, parents, school officials, and the lawmakers who wish to outlaw the classes.
A Place of Rage
Publication Date: 1991
Expires: 11/02/2021
This exuberant celebration of African American women and their achievements features interviews with Angela Davis, June Jordan and Alice Walker. Within the context of the civil rights, Black power and feminist movements, the trio reassess how women such as Rosa Parks and Fannie Lou Hamer revolutionized American society.
Fear and Learning at Hoover Elementary
Publication Date: 1997
Expires: 10/12/2021
Directed by a schoolteacher, this film became a lightning bolt in the immigration debate as the Rockefeller Foundation labeled it "One of the most important films on American race relations." Hoover Elementary is located in Pico-Union, known as the 'Ellis Island' of Los Angeles. After the passage of Proposition 187 into law, teacher Laura Angelica Simon feared she would be forced to turn in her undocumented students to the INS. She was equally disturbed by the support the Proposition was receiving from teachers, even though it would harm their own students. Armed with borrowed equipment, Simon began chronicling this troubled and divisive chapter at Hoover Elementary. NPR calls the result, "A story that veers unexpectedly and characters transform before our eyes...it's astonishing to watch." Ideal for courses in Education, Public Policy, Chicano Studies, Ethnic Studies, Political Science, Sociology, American Studies, Multicultural Studies, Race Relations, Anthropology and Psychology.
Arc of Justice The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of a Beloved Community
Publication Date: 2016
Expires: 04/09/2022
ARC OF JUSTICE traces the remarkable journey of New Communities, Inc. and the struggle for racial justice and economic empowerment among African Americans in southwest Georgia.

NCI was created in 1969 by leaders of the Civil Rights Movement in Albany, Georgia to help secure economic independence for African American families. For fifteen years, NCI cooperatively farmed nearly 6000 acres of land despite racist attacks and refusals by federal agencies to provide grants or loans. Its land was lost to foreclosure in 1985, but 25 years later NCI was given new life as a result of a successful class action lawsuit brought by hundreds of African American farmers against the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Daughters Of The Dust
Publication Date: 1991
Expires: 12/14/2021
At the dawn of the 20th century, a multi-generational family in the Gullah community on the Sea Islands off of South Carolina - former West African slaves who adopted many of their ancestors' Yoruba traditions - struggle to maintain their cultural heritage and folklore while contemplating a migration to the mainland, even further from their roots.

The first wide release by a black female filmmaker, DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST was met with wild critical acclaim and rapturous audience response when it initially opened in 1991. Casting a long legacy, DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST still resonates today, most recently as a major in influence on Beyonce's video album Lemonade.

Videos in Films on Demand

African American History collection on Films on Demand: https://evergreen.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=107687&sid=873&level=Class&cID=918

Films on Demand includes great shorter videos including pertinent TEDTalks and historic television footage.

Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise
Publication Date: 2016
This series looks at the last five decades of African American history through the eyes of Henry Louis Gates, Jr., exploring the tremendous gains and persistent challenges of these years. Drawing on eyewitness accounts, scholarly analysis and rare archival footage, the series illuminates our recent past, while raising urgent questions about the future of the African American community—and our nation as a whole.
The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross
Publication Date: 2013
Written and presented by Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., director of W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University, this six-hour series explores the evolution of the African-American people, as well as the multiplicity of cultural institutions, political strategies, and religious and social perspectives they developed -- forging their own history, culture and society against unimaginable odds. Commencing with the origins of slavery in Africa, the series moves through five centuries of remarkable historic events right up to the present -- when America is led by a black president, yet remains a nation deeply divided by race. By highlighting the tragedies, triumphs and contradictions of the black experience, the series reveals to viewers that the African-American community has never been a uniform entity, and that its members have been actively debating their differences from their first days in this country. Throughout the course of the series, viewers will see that the road to freedom for black people in America has not been linear, but more like the course of a river, full of loops and eddies, slowing, and occasionally reversing the current of progress.
Moyers & Company: Facing the Truth—The Case for Reparations
Publication Date: 2014
In this edition of Moyers & Company, Bill speaks with Ta-Nehisi Coates, a senior editor for The Atlantic about his cover story “The Case for Reparations” about why America needs to reconcile with its racist past. Broadcast date: May 23, 2014.
Between the World and Me
Publication Date: 2021
First published in 2015, Between The World And Me was written as a letter to Coates’ teenage son, and recounts the author’s experiences growing up in Baltimore’s inner city and his growing fear of daily violence against the Black community. The narrative explores Coates’ bold notion that American society structurally supports white supremacy. Based on the 2018 adaptation and staging of the book at the Apollo Theater, this HBO Special combines elements of the Apollo’s production, including powerful readings from Coates’ book, and incorporates documentary footage from the actors’ home life, archival footage, and animation.
Policing the Police 2020
Publication Date: 2021
Race, policing and the struggle to hold departments accountable. In the wake of George Floyd’s killing, New Yorker writer Jelani Cobb examines prospects for reform and returns to the case of one troubled department he first visited in 2016. Distributed by PBS Distribution.

Videos on other platforms

Homeland
Publication Date: 2005
Having brutally occupied the homeland of Native Americans, the invading Europeans forced the indigenous population onto reservations - land that was specifically selected because of its apparent worthlessness.

To add salt to wounds that are still open, multinational energy companies and others are coming back to extract the hidden mineral wealth of the reservations, and are leaving a trail of toxins that, if unchecked, will make the land unlivable for centuries to come.

Videos in Swank

A Raisin In The Sun
Publication Date: 1961
Licensed through August 31, 2021
A black family living in a cramped tenement in 1940s Chicago have a chance to improve their lives via an insurance-policy check, but are in disagreement as to how best to spend the windfall.
Harriet
Publication Date: 2019
Licensed through August 31, 2021
The incredible true story of Harriet Tubman, and her quest to lead hundreds of slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad.
The Piano Lesson
Publication Date: 1995
Licensed through 3/31/2022
A haunting evocation of the African-American ethos enriches August Wilson's play, centering on a battle over a family heirloom. Boy Willie: Charles Dutton. Berneice: Alfre Woodard. Doaker: Carl Gordon. Lymon: Courtney B. Vance. Wining Boy: Lou Myers. Avery: Tommy Hollis. Maretha: Zelda Harris. Lloyd Richards directed.

Videos in Academic Video Online (AVON)

Black History channel on AVON: https://evergreen.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://video.alexanderstreet.com/channel/black-history

Film Platform titles, which used to be on a separate platform, may now also be viewed via AVON at https://video-alexanderstreet-com.evergreen.idm.oclc.org/channel/film-platform.

Black Feminist
Publication Date: 2019
Black Feminist is a feature length documentary film surrounding the double edged sword of racial and gender oppression that black women face in America. This documentary is told through interviews from scholars, lecturers, writers, business owners, veterans, comedians and authors. In addition to information interviews, this documentary is narrated by our storybook character LaToya Johnson, played by Nadirah Lugg.
America To Me, Ep. 1: Context Matters: The Permanence of Racism
Publication Date: 2018
America to Me focuses on a year at Chicago’s Oak Park and River Forest High School (OPRFHS), widely considered to be a safe, well-integrated, academically strong school. In Episode 1, we meet some of its students of color and their families, who have sacrificed to live in this popular district. Their stories begin to reveal the racial cracks and realities of the permanence of racism.
Indecently Exposed with Jane Elliott
Publication Date: 2005
That's how anti-racism expert Jane Elliott describes her role in this reality-based documentary that challenges Canadian attitudes towards Native Canadians. 'Even nice Canadians are racist...' Whether or not you agree, that’s Elliott’s starting point as she welcomes and bullies 22 Canadians who have volunteered to participate in her internationally renowned workshop.
Cracking the Codes: The System of Racial Inequity
Publication Date: 2012
This film asks America to talk about the causes and consequences of systemic inequity. Designed for dialogue, the film works to disentangle internal beliefs, attitudes and pre-judgments within, and it builds skills to address the structural drivers of social and economic inequities. Cracking the Codes supports institutions and communities to deepen and shift the framing of racial disparities. The current conversation is not only shallow, but actually harmful. We continue to primarily focus on individuals, when institutional and structural inequities are the bigger problem. The film contains three sections that correspond to World Trust’s framing of the self-perpetuating system of racial inequity: Section 1: Social Determinants: History, Identity & Culture Section 2: Internal Components: Bias, Privilege, Internalized Racism Section 3: External Relationships: Interpersonal, Institutional, Structural The film features moving stories from twenty-four racial justice leaders including Amer Ahmed, Michael Benitez, Barbie-Danielle DeCarlo, Joy DeGruy, Harley Eagle, Ericka Huggins, Yuko Kodama, Peggy McIntosh, Rinku Sen, Tillman Smith and Tim Wise. This film is an ideal introduction to the dynamics of systemic racial inequity. It is appropriate for use in education, healthcare, philanthropy, government, and nonprofit.
Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible
Publication Date: 2006
Use this groundbreaking film and conversation guide in your organization to help bridge the gap between good intentions and meaningful change. Featuring stories from white men and women on overcoming issues of unconscious bias and entitlement, it is an powerful and unique tool in diversity work. The stories in the film reveal what is often required to move through the stages of denial, defensiveness, guilt, fear, and shame into making a solid commitment to ending racial injustice. This film catalyzes powerful dialogue to support the learning, change and healing of all people who want to undo race-based oppression. Featuring: Tim Wise, Joe Fahey, Peggy V. McIntosh, Marguerite Parks, Gary Howard and many more.
Coded Bias
Publication Date: 2020
Coded Bias captures the fallout of Joy Buolamwini’s startling discovery that most facial recognition software does not accurately see dark-skinned faces or women. Joy is forced to reckon with bias encoded in algorithms, the invisible mathematical equations that are remaking our behavior, our culture, and our democracies. Automated decision-making has the unprecedented power to disseminate bias at scale. Through the organization she founds, the Algorithmic Justice League, Joy aims to create a movement towards accountability and transparency. Coded Bias follows poet of code Joy Buolamwini journey to push for the first-ever legislation to govern AI in the United States. In Joy’s success, failures, and challenges lies the collective hope for a more humane use of the technologies of the future. But can the best of our humanity challenge the power of big tech yielding bias in artificial intelligence at scale? Artfully crafting vérité, lyrical visuals, and imaginative graphic novel elements, Coded Bias captures the personals stories of people whose lives have been directly impacted by algorithmic bias. Powerfully conveying the importance of Joy’s work, Coded Bias features personal stories of people directly impacted by unjust algorithms. As humans increasingly outsource autonomy to machines, Coded Bias explores the setbacks in hiring, health care, and criminal justice. Through intimate portraits and groundbreaking thought leaders, the film aims to show the human impacts that are happening under the guise of machine neutrality and optimizing efficiency.
Cracking the Codes: The System of Racial Inequity
Publication Date: 2014
This film asks America to talk about the causes and consequences of systemic inequity. Designed for dialogue, the film works to disentangle internal beliefs, attitudes and pre-judgments within, and it builds skills to address the structural drivers of social and economic inequities. Cracking the Codes supports institutions and communities to deepen and shift the framing of racial disparities. The current conversation is not only shallow, but actually harmful. We continue to primarily focus on individuals, when institutional and structural inequities are the bigger problem. The film contains three sections that correspond to World Trust’s framing of the self-perpetuating system of racial inequity: Section 1: Social Determinants: History, Identity & Culture Section 2: Internal Components: Bias, Privilege, Internalized Racism Section 3: External Relationships: Interpersonal, Institutional, Structural The film features moving stories from twenty-four racial justice leaders including Amer Ahmed, Michael Benitez, Barbie-Danielle DeCarlo, Joy DeGruy, Harley Eagle, Ericka Huggins, Yuko Kodama, Peggy McIntosh, Rinku Sen, Tillman Smith and Tim Wise.
The Infiltrators: A True Story
Publication Date: 2019
The Infiltrators is a docu-thriller that tells the true story of young immigrants who are detained by Border Patrol and thrown into a shadowy for-profit detention center--on purpose. Marco and Viri are members of the National Immigrant Youth Alliance, a group of radical DREAMers who are on a mission to stop unjust deportations. And the best place to stop deportations, they believe, is in detention. However, when Marco and Viri attempt a daring reverse 'prison break,' things don't go according to plan. By weaving together documentary footage of the real infiltrators with re-enactments of the events inside the detention center, THE INFILTRATORS tells an incredible and thrilling true story in a genre-defying new cinematic language.