Reparations Movies Resource Guide
Created by the Tikkun Olam Commission for Reparations Shabbaton 5785
The Reparations Movies Resource Guide is a guide to four different documentaries, videos, and films that present community histories, testimonies, sermons, and personal journeys that explore harm caused to communities and individuals and, in some cases, the reckoning to repair harm and provide restitution. They are only a selection of the many available resources. For purposes of simplicity, these materials are referred to under the broad term “films.”
This reparations movie guide is an educational tool, created by the Tikkun Olam Commission, to support your communities’ ongoing learning about the topic of reparations.
The four films are:
Background
In January 2023, the Reconstructionist Movement approved the Resolution on Reparations.
Two of the Resolved clauses in the resolution are:
- “Resolved, that we encourage all Reconstructionist movement congregations and affiliated groups to engage in ongoing learning about systems of oppression and structural racism, and about how these systems have caused, and continue to cause, harm in our communities;
- Resolved, that informed by and working in solidarity with impacted communities, we call for all Reconstructionist movement congregations and affiliated groups to engage in deep reflection on the ways in which we have participated in or benefitted from racial injustices in our communities and to answer the call of Torah to pursue justice and practice teshuvah by taking concrete steps to repair the harm;”
Reparations Defined
The National African-American Reparations Commission (NAARC) defines reparations as “a process of repairing, healing and restoring a people injured because of their group identity and in violation of their fundamental human rights by governments or corporations. Those groups that have been injured have the right to obtain from the government or corporation responsible for the injuries that which they need to repair and heal themselves. In addition to being a demand for justice, it is a principle of international human rights law.”
Permissions
These films have varying permission settings for watching as an individual using a personal account (Netflix, for example) versus public (large group) viewing. We encourage you to research the permission settings for the film you are showing and make a decision that is most appropriate for the context of your congregation.
Suggested Discussion Guidelines
- It is not expected that participants already have knowledge about or opinions on reparations.
- This selection of films is offered to provide the opportunity to study and discuss materials on several related aspects of reparations.
- A goal of group discussion is to open up conversation and to create a space within which we can all be good listeners and reflect, rather than debate or attempt to change the opinions or perspective of someone else.
- In discussion, remember that there are no right or wrong answers, and there is no expectation of reaching consensus. Rather, expect and accept a lack of closure.
- The purpose of the discussions is not to critique the merits of a specific individual’s or community’s action, but rather to focus on who was harmed and who has called for repairing harm caused by others.
- You are encouraged to use “I” statements rather than “all” statements, or to express opinions on behalf of other people.
General Questions for Discussion of Any of the Films
- Who is the film speaking to?
- What terms are new to you in the film?
- What surprised you in the film?
- Are you feeling any discomfort about something in the film?
- How does this film make a case for reparations?
- How does this film address the legacy of descendants?
- What Jewish texts or teachings come up for you in watching this film?
- Does this film bring to mind a situation in your own community?
- What is something new you are reflecting on about reparations based on watching this film?
FILMS:
1) Descendant
Title: Descendant
Type of Film: Documentary, A Netflix Original Documentary
Year: 2022
Film length: 94 minutes
Platform: Netflix
Synopsis
“In Descendant, award-winning filmmaker Margaret Brown returns to her hometown of Mobile, Alabama, to document the search for and historic discovery of the Clotilda, the last known ship to arrive in the United States, illegally carrying 110 kidnapped Africans. Director Margaret Brown’s layered contemplation explores the interplay between memory and evidence and the question of how history passes and is preserved. Brown also reveals the enduring power imbalance that persists between the descendants of Timothy Meaher, the man who chartered the illegal expedition, and the descendants of those who were enslaved aboard it. The Meaher family owns much of the heavily industrialized area that surrounds Africatown. Elevated cases of cancer and illness are prevalent there, but the Africatown community persists. Residents celebrate their heritage and take command of their legacy by bringing their history to the surface.” (Film producer: participant.com)
Questions for Discussion
- Do the steps taken by white residents of Mobile represent reparations?
- What lessons do the descendants of the enslaved in Africatown offer to the nationwide struggle for reparations?
- How do the images of water, land, and silence provide a connection to environmental, economic, and racial justice?
Resources
- Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo”, Zora Neale Hurston. Publisher: Amistad; Illustrated edition (May 8, 2018)
- From the filmmakers – resources to learn more and take action – Participant.Com
2) The Big Payback
Title: The Big Payback
Type of Film: Documentary
Year: 2022
Film length: 111 minutes
Platforms: PBS, PBS Documentaries – Prime Video, iTunes, Comcast Xfinity
Synopsis
“For the first time in American history, a tax funded reparations bill targeted for Black Americans is passed in Evanston, IL. The film follows the fight of rookie alderman Robin Rue Simmons as she leads the community in an uphill battle to obtain this ‘big payback’. Meanwhile, in Washington DC, the formidable Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee continues the fight to pass HR 40: a national bill to examine the merits of introducing reparations for slavery to African Americans. Together, they pressure the government to deliver monetary justice and appropriate remedies for Black Americans harmed by centuries of chattel slavery, state-sponsored terrorism, systemic injustice, and corporate exploitation. Will the debt ever be addressed, or is it too late for a reparations movement to finally get the big payback?” (from thebigpaybackmovie.com)
Questions for Discussion
- What lessons do the advocates in Evanston offer to the struggle for reparations?
- How does the intensive effort in Evanston resonate with you as a model for locally-based reparations?
- How do you relate to the role of visionary leaders, community members with varying perspectives and opinions, and institutions in launching reparation efforts?
Resource
On The Big Payback website: Community Discussion Guide, Policymaker and Organizer Toolkit, The Big Payback: Podcast. “
3) The Cost of Inheritance
Title: The Cost of Inheritance
Type of Film: Documentary, a co-production by WQED & the Center for Social Solutions (CSS) at the University of Michigan; Executive Producer: Darryl Ford Williams; Director: Yoruba Richen.
Year: 2024
Film length: 55 minutes
Platforms: PBS, WorldChannel.org, Prime Video, Apple TV
Synopsis
“THE COST OF INHERITANCE, an America ReFramed special, explores the complex issue of reparations in the U.S. using a thoughtful approach to history, historical injustices, systemic inequities, and critical dialogue on racial conciliation. Through personal narratives, community inquiries, and scholarly insights, it aims to inspire understanding of the scope and rationale of the reparations debate.” (from PBS)
Questions for Discussion
- The taking of land is a central theme in this documentary. What new insights do you have about wealth tied to owning land? Do you or your community have similar stories?
- The film features one person’s quest to repair harm. How does it demonstrate the underlying root causes of wealth disparity and opportunity?
Resources
Community Discussion Guide
African American Redress Network
4) There’s Something In the Water
Title: There’s Something in the Water
Type of Film: Documentary, Collective Eye Films
Year: 2020
Film length: 71 minutes
Platforms: Kanopy (many public libraries provide access to Kanopy), Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Netflix
Synopsis
“Elliot Page returns to his home province in Canada to meet with Black and Indigenous women who are working to end the legacy of environmental racism in Nova Scotia. Based on Ingrid Waldron’s book by the same name, THERE”S SOMETHING IN THE WATER traces the environmental catastrophes that plague remote, low income, and often Indigenous or Black communities.” (from Kanopy)
Questions for Discussion
- In the documentary, Michelle said “we want to start healing” but “you can’t heal in the same environment that made you sick.” What was challenging for the community striving to heal?
- What’s our responsibility to work for healing?
- Does learning the history and bearing witness contribute to changing the underlying environment of harm?
- What do the community members share about the responsibility of descendants and, what is owed to them?
Resources
- There’s Something in the Water – A study guide of Ingrid Waldron’s book ‘There’s Something in the Water.’ (radicalinprogress.org)
- Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2012 Calls to Action
- The story of Africville, A Black community displaced by racism, Matthew McRae
Published: February 23, 2017 Updated: April 6, 2023 (Canadian Museum for Human Rights)
