The resistance has been televised

Wanda and I have watched a bunch of documentaries that cover moments of resistance against oppression in the United States. I'm probably forgetting some, but this list feels like a good start.

These documentaries have helped me understand how much we all have benefited from the often intense work and sacrifice of those who have pushed for our freedoms. And they inspire me to find ways to play my own role in the fight against oppression.

Amend: The Fight for America

This six-part documentary series is a deep dive on the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which was adopted in 1868 and was a huge step forward in ensuring our liberties. It's a highly consequential amendment, and is important for us all to understand more completely.

You can watch the series on Netflix, but they have also put all episodes on YouTube to watch for free.

Crip Camp

I went into this documentary expecting a feel-good memoir tale about a camp for disabled kids, and nope, that's just the beginning of a much more powerful tale about the fight for disabled rights in America. This is one of those "this should be required viewing" things, it's so damned good, and it's an important story we should all be much more familiar with. We were so fucking lucky to have Judy Heumann.

You can watch the movie on Netflix, and they have also put the whole movie on YouTube to watch for free.

The Black Church

The Black Church has played a powerful, foundational role in Black American history, and a critical role especially in resistance during enslavement, the Jim Crow era, and the Civil Rights movement. I loved developing a deeper understanding about the relationship between the Black Church and resistance through this PBS documentary by Henry Louis Gates.

This is a PBS series, check how you can watch it in your location. I was able to watch it for free on Hoopla via my local library.

High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America

This outstanding series on the history of Black cuisine in America is based on the book by Jessica B. Harris and hosted by Stephen Satterfield. It is a celebration of Black ingenuity and creation, against the heavy backdrop of exploitation. Stephen Satterfield is a perfect guide through this world, using a soft touch to keep the focus on the folks he's interviewing, while not stifling his own moving experience.

You can watch this series on Netflix, there are eight episodes total.

13th

Ava DuVernay's documentary about mass incarceration in the United States, and its roots in human enslavement and white supremacism, is worth a revisit if it's been a while since you watched it. The United States imprisons a bizarrely high proportion of its citizens. What seems more likely? That there's something out-of-whack about the people in our country? Or that there's something out-of-whack about our systems that are putting people in prison?

You can watch this movie on Netflix, and they have also put the whole movie on YouTube to watch for free.

PBS Origins

This YouTube channel is the home of several series covering the history of marginalized groups in America. Roots of Resistance, In the Margins, A People's History of Native America, and more. The hosts tend to be pretty fantastic.

The Occupation of Alcatraz

Native Americans reclaimed Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, asserting their rights under the Treaty of Fort Laramie, at the end of 1969, and managed to hold on to it until the start of 1971. I feel like we've watched something meatier about this event; maybe I'm thinking of when it came up in Crip Camp, or the reading we've done. But all I can come up with right now is this mini doc we've seen. Hit me up with your favorite docs on the Occupation!

I have many more tales of resistance via books to share; that'll be another post on another day.

I would love to hear your recommendations for more documentaries about the continual push to live up to our Constitution's ideals!