13 Movies and Shows About Race to Better Understand This 2020 Moment

Around the country, demonstrations continue over the death of George Floyd, the 46-year-old man who was killed by Minneapolis Police on May 25 after an officer held his knee on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. While spreading awareness of the various forms of police brutality and systemic injustice in our country are ever-important, another important part for many can come at home. In this case, there are a number of films, documentaries, and television series that can help us to understand where we stand at this moment in our modern history.

Still, it’s important to understand that it’s the voices of black writers—people who understand what it means to live through a moment like the one we’re living through right now—who are best equipped to share recommendations that can guide us through a time that feels all too familiar in modern history.

Eric Deggans, a cultural critic with more than 20 years of experience, and author of Race-Baiter: How the Media Wields Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation, is NPR's first-ever full-time TV critic (follow him on Twitter at @Deggans). And while TV is his main focus at NPR, we had a lengthy conversation about entertainment that originated on both the big and small screen—movies and TV shows that can help you understand and make sense of the moment we’re all living in right this very second.