Warner Bros: Just Mercy stars Michael B Jordan and Jamie Foxx, which is about attorney Bryan Stevenson, the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative. Based on Stevenson’s 2014 memoir, the movie has gathered critical acclaim both as a film in itself as well as a topical lightning rod in the wake of the #BLM protests. Warner Bros made the film free to stream at the beginning of June. Criterion: IndieWire reports that the Criterion Collection has removed the paywall on select titles from black filmmakers as well as those by white artists who’ve released films that speak to the black experience. Films like Daughters of the Dust can be streamed from home for free without a subscription to the service. Mongrel Media: This indie film company is offering a few titles on the black experience for free, as well, including I Am Not Your Negro, based on the unfinished James Baldwin work, Remember This House. Bottom line: Ultimately, we all should be educating ourselves on the history and solutions to institutionalized racism. These films won’t solve it for us, but making them available for free gives them a lift that could encourage more people spend time learning about this pressing issue.
