To tackle the history of racism in America is an exceptionally difficult task. Hundreds of writers have attempted to do so either in broader historical strokes or in a more synechodic manner. Documentaries about the history of race in America are a rarer form with 13th and I Am Not Your Negro being among the more recent entries in the genre. Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America adopts the wider scope but in its effort to understand four centuries of American race relations, it emerges as one of the most succinct and engaging films about this history in recent memory. Part of what makes this film work so well is its structure which balances lecture footage with archival segments and scenes on the road where our lecturer Jeffery Robinson talks with firsthand sources or knowledgable historians. It makes for a viewing experience that feels like an enhanced history lesson. Robinson himself is a perfect guide for this story, always maintaining an arresting sense of urgency and conviction when discussing the history and the people affected by it. I was pleasantly surprised to find parts of this film that I didn't know or had only a shallow knowledge of which Robinson helps illuminate in his lecture. It's tempting to use this film as a "watch this if you want to understand how we got here" type movie that was passed around so much two summers ago, but it really is a perfect introductory overview of white supremacy in legal and cultural contexts in America.

To tackle the history of racism in America is an exceptionally difficult task. Hundreds of writers have attempted to do so either in broader historical strokes or in a more synechodic manner. Documentaries about the history of race in America are a rarer form with 13th and I Am Not Your Negro being among the more recent entries in the genre. Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America adopts the wider scope but in its effort to understand four centuries of American race relations, it emerges as one of the most succinct and engaging films about this history in recent memory. Part of what makes this film work so well is its structure which balances lecture footage with archival segments and scenes on the road where our lecturer Jeffery Robinson talks with firsthand sources or knowledgable historians. It makes for a viewing experience that feels like an enhanced history lesson. Robinson himself is a perfect guide for this story, always maintaining an arresting sense of urgency and conviction when discussing the history and the people affected by it. I was pleasantly surprised to find parts of this film that I didn't know or had only a shallow knowledge of which Robinson helps illuminate in his lecture. It's tempting to use this film as a "watch this if you want to understand how we got here" type movie that was passed around so much two summers ago, but it really is a perfect introductory overview of white supremacy in legal and cultural contexts in America.