Throughout history, playwrights, filmmakers, authors and other creatives have used their stories and art to confront systemic issues and racial inequality. In light of the continued nationwide and global support for the Black Lives Matter Movement and the call to end systemic racism, NYFA recognizes that it is our responsibility to continue to educate ourselves on the black experience and celebrate the stories of black creatives, who seek to end racial violence and prejudice, and continue to work tirelessly to educate and inform.
Though this is by no means an exhaustive list, but we hope these educational materials (films, television shows, podcasts, books, and plays), selected by members of the NYFA community, serve as a starting point for us and others to continue to: confront racial inequalities within our society, recognize and applaud black stories and creators, and represent a brighter future in the film, media, and performing arts industries that promotes collaboration and inclusivity.
Films & TV Series to Watch:
- 13th (Netflix, YouTube)
- American Son (Netflix)
- Dear White People (Netflix)
- If Beale St Could Talk (Hulu)
- King in the Wilderness (HBO)
- See You Yesterday (Netflix)
- The Hate You Give (Hulu)
- When They See Us (Netflix)
- Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975 (Available to Rent)
- Selma (Available to Rent)
Podcasts to You Should Hit the ‘Subscribe Button’ on:
- 1619 (New York times)
- About Race
- Code Switch (NPR)
- Intersectionality Matters! hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw
- Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast
- Pod for the Cause (Leadership Conf on Civil & Human Rights)
- Pod Save the People (Crooked Media)
- Seeing White
- Fare of the Free Child Podcast
- Revisionist History episode ”The Limits of Power”
Books to Read:
- How to Be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X Kendi
- White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
- The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
- Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
- I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
- Black Feminist Thought by Patricia Hill Collins
- Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon
- So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
- The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X
- The Origin of Others by Toni Morrison
Plays to Read and Study:
- ‘An Octoroon’ by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (2014)
- ‘Barbecue’ by Robert O’Hara (2015)
- ‘Underground Railroad Game’ by Jennifer Kidwell and Scott R. Sheppard (2016)
- ‘Kill Move Paradise’ by James Ijames (2017)
- ‘Fairview’ by Jackie Sibblies Drury (2018)
- ‘What to Send Up When It Goes Down’ by Aleshea Harris (2018)
- ‘Pass Over’ by Antoinette Nwandu (2018)
- ‘Slave Play’ by Jeremy O. Harris (2018)
- ‘White Noise’ by Suzan-Lori Parks (2019)
- ‘Ain’t No Mo’’ by Jordan E. Cooper (2019)
- ‘The Piano Lesson’ by August Wilson (1987)
- ‘Fences’ by August Wilson. (1985)
- ‘A King’s Story’ by Joshua St. Hill (2017)
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