Movies you can stream for free about social injustice, from 'Selma' to 'Just Mercy'
- As Black Lives Matter protests around the world continue, several movies about social injustices, racism, and civil rights are now available to stream for free.
- Titles include "Selma," "Just Mercy," and "I Am Not Your Negro."
In the last week, protests across the world have continued in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and to mourn George Floyd.
Floyd died after a white Minnesota police officer kneeled on his neck for over eight minutes on May 25, 2020. The outpouring of grief and anger over his death and the deaths of others has inspired companies that own some of the most important feature films and documentaries on topics about social injustice and racism to make them available to stream for free.
From Ava DuVernay's Oscar-nominated "Selma" to the documentary "I Am Not Your Negro," based on an unfinished James Baldwin manuscript, this collection of titles is available to stream right now.
"The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975" (2011)
Available on: Amazon Prime and Apple TV (until June 12)
What it's about: Filmmaker Göran Olsson uses footage of the Black Power movement from 1967 to 1975 to examine the group's evolution from the people who were there. The footage includes appearances by Angela Davis, Bobby Seale, Huey P. Newton, and other activists.
"I Am Not Your Negro" (2016)
Available on: Hoopla and Kanopy
What it's about: Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, this documentary explores the history of racism in the US through the unfinished James Baldwin manuscript, "Remember This House."
Viewers don't just absorb Baldwin's personal observations, but his memories of close friends Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.
"Just Mercy" (2019)
Available on: iTunes, Amazon Prime, FandangoNow, Vudu, On Demand
What it's about: Michael B. Jordan gives a powerful performance as real-life defense attorney Bryan Stevenson, who after graduating from Harvard travels to Alabama in hopes to help poor people who can't afford legal representation. He then meets Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), a wrongly condemned death row prisoner.
"Selma" (2014)
Available on: iTunes, FandangoNow, On Demand (though the month of June)
What it's about: Ava DuVernay's Oscar-nominated movie stars David Oyelowo delivering a stirring performance playing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as he tries to secure equal voting rights by marching from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.
Watch the movie, and then read Oyelowo's statement about how the cast wearing shirts protesting the death of Eric Garner at the movie's premiere affected its Oscar chances.
"Toni Morrison: Pieces I Am" (2019)
Available on: Hoopla and Kanopy
What it's about: This moving documentary looks at the life and work of Pulitzer Prize- and Nobel Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison. Her work is celebrated in the movie by other notable figures such as Oprah Winfrey, Angela Davis, and Barack Obama.
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