A Summer Like No Other

by Cenker Camcı and İrem Akay

This year, summer went on to a different start than usual. After the murder of a black man named George Floyd by police officers, protests all around the United States and even the world began and the Black Rights Movement gained significant recognition. Even in Turkey, hashtags #blacklivesmatter and #blackouttuesday have been vastly used to show support to those who are protesting at the front lines in the United States. There are riots all over the United States, demanding justice for George Floyd and all those killed before him due to racial discrimination, especially police brutality. If you question the validity of the riots or protests, you should be aware, it is one tragic fact of our world that discrimination due to race or any other form of minority characteristic carried out by the governments or the conservative mindsets do not tend to listen, care or change their ideas unless there is a significant effect, an uprising, which is something these riots are aimed to create. Without this uprising, without these protests, George Floyd would have been forgotten after a few weeks, just like what has been happening for past centuries. These riots are the first steps of actual change. Here, we have gathered a list of movies, documentaries and TV shows that you can watch to educate yourself on issues of racial discrimination and equality. By spending a portion of your free time that you would have spent watching something else, you can learn and be aware of what Black Lives Movement is all about and be more involved in the issue in general.

TV Shows

When They See Us

‘When They See Us’ is an incredibly important mini-series that bases itself around a true story, which happened in April 19th of 1989. It explores the lives of five African-American teens, who were falsely prosecuted on charges related to the sexual assault of a female victim, and of their families. The mini-series provides a heartbreakingly real exploration of the injustices black people once faced, and are still continuing to face at the hands of corrupt police forces and an unjust justice system. It shows how cops’ racial biases and personal agendas directly endanger black people’s lives and could certainly be seen mirrored in what happened to George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and many more like them.

Dear White People

‘Dear White People’ is a social satire, that follows the stories of four black students at an Ivy League college where a controversy breaks out over a highly offensive black-face party thrown by white students. The show explores racial identity in a so called “politically correct” United States and highlights how most people still do not have a clear grasp when it comes to these issues. With its storyline about a character named Reggie, who is wrongfully reported to the police by a fellow white classmate and has his life threatened because of it, the show’s second season is now a more important watch than ever when trying to understand the experiences of black people and what they go through psychologically when being traumatised by an event like this.

Movies

Do The Right Thing

‘Do the Right Thing’, written, directed and produced by Spike Lee, centers itself around a single day in the lives of a racially diverse group of people, who live and work in the Bedford-Stuyvesant district of Brooklyn. The story takes place on a hot summer Sunday; and a small complaint directed towards the local pizza shop owner, Sal Fragione, from a customer named Buggin Out turns into something much bigger as tensions arise between the residents of the area. The story could serve as an important watch as some of the riots taking place towards the end sequence of the film, could help certain viewers understand why peaceful protests are sometimes just not enough when trying to reform a corrupted and broken system. Those who only choose to focus on the riots themselves and not what voices are trying to be amplified through those said riots, can certainly learn a lot from a film such as this one.

If Beale Street Could Talk

This movie revolves around a young man called Fonny who is falsely accused of raping a Puerto Rican woman. He is arrested and accused by a racist cop, and his racist perception is what falsely accuses Fonny, which is highly related to what happened to George Floyd. This movie offers a perception into how police brutality amplified by racial discrimination affects the black community, and you maybe can understand the severity of the protests after learning what George Floyd and potentially thousands of other black individuals went through.

Blindspotting

Collin must get through the final three days of his probation, for a chance at a new beginning. He and his troublemaking childhood best friend, Miles (Rafael Casal), work at a moving company and are forced to witness their old neighborhood become a trendy spot in the rapidly gentrifying Bay Area. When a life-altering event causes Collin to miss his mandatory curfew, the two men struggle to maintain their friendship as the changing social landscape exposes their differences. The rap performance at the end of this movie, performed by Daveed Diggs, perfectly encapsulates the state that we are currently in right now and is a must listen for anyone trying to get educated regarding the George Floyd situation and the protests.

Documentaries

Black Panthers

This documentary is about the Free Huey rally held on February 17th, 1968 in Oakland Auditorium, California. A student named Newton who, with a friend, organizes a party called the Black Panther Party has been jailed as he is accused of allegedly murdering a cop. His arrest was thought to be a setup and the Black Panther Party gained recognition throughout the nation and was supported by a new level of public attention.

Paris is Burning

Paris is burning is a documentary revolving around the fashion obsessed New York ball scene and the underground LGBTQ culture that uses balls and voguing as a way of self-expression and pride. It is a documentary that dives into the story behind the hit TV series Pose, and it provides a historical perspective to what queer pride is today. With the community having a significant number of black individuals, the documentary reflects on their experiences and struggles as both black and queer individuals at the time. Having entered the pride month, this documentary would provide you a different perspective by also incorporating the ideology of the Black Lives Matter Movement.

13th

This documentary explores the history of race, discrimination and the criminal justice system. The title refers to the 13th amendment and it argues “Mass incarceration is an extension of slavery.”

Now, after watching all or some of these recommended TV shows, movies and documentaries, you should understand what has been going on in the United States and why it is an important issue that we must raise awareness on. Thus, we encourage you to spread the word, to make other people watch these shows and to educate them on issues of race and discrimination. Other than social media posts and raising awareness, we highly encourage you to take direct action by signing petitions and donating money to relevant organizations, if you can. Here we have gathered a list of petitions and donation accounts for you:

DONATION ACCOUNTS

Black Lives Matter

You can directly donate to the BLM movement whose purpose is an “ongoing fight to end state-sanctioned violence, liberate black people, and end white supremacy forever”

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019

The Minnesota Freedom Fund

A fund that is used to bail out the protestors who are arrested and need to be bailed out to avoid imprisonment.

https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/donate

The Bail Project

Independent defines the purpose of The Bail Project as “providing funds to pay bail to prevent incarceration and combat racial economic disparities in the bail system”

https://secure.givelively.org/donate/the-bail-project

Reclaim The Block

An organization that aims to divert the excessive amounts of money spent on police force to other aspects of the community. The organization states “We do not believe that increased regulation of or public engagement with the police will lead to safer communities, as community testimony and documented police conduct suggest otherwise.”

https://secure.everyaction.com/zae4prEeKESHBy0MKXTIcQ2

GoFundMe for Belly Mujinga’s Family

In April, a black woman named Belly Mujinga was spat on by a man who claimed that he ad the coronavirus in the United Kingdom, when she was working at Victoria Station. Later, she was diagnosed with the coronavirus and passed away. There is now a GoFundMe page to support her family and her little daughter.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/rip-belly-mujinga

Fund Set in George Floyd’s Memory

George Floyd’s brother opened a fund to afford the funeral and burial expenses, to pay for counselling, accomodation and travel in the process of taking legal action against the police who were responsible of his brother’s murder.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd

Another fund set in George Floyd’s memory is set by his sister and the money donated is used to support the Floyd family’s living expenses.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/george-floyd-bigfloyd

PETITIONS TO SIGN

You too can make a difference and support change by taking a few minutes to sign these petitions.