Social Justice Film Festival, Fix Democracy First and MMP co-produce an event for “Racially Charged – America’s Misdemeanor Problem”

The Social Justice Film Festival, Fix Democracy First and the Meaningful Movies Project hosted a screening and panel discussion of Brave New Films’ “Racially Charged: America’s Misdemeanor Problem” on June 6, 2021. This powerful film shows how the misdemeanor system in the United States ensnares more than 13 million people a year – most of them poor or people of color – and has led to the wrongful imprisonments and deaths of countless Black Americans, including George Floyd and Eric Garner. Through first-person accounts of those charged under the Black Codes of the Reconstruction era paralleled with the outrageous stories of people trapped in the system today, the film brings to light the unfolding of a powerful engine of profits and racial inequality. With the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement, this film provides historical context and examines America’s history of racist oppression.

The event on June 6th was moderated by Andrés Muñoz and the panel included Cory Walster and Anwar Peace. All three panelists spoke powerfully about their personal experiences with a criminal justice system that targets and criminalizes people of color. Each of them also spoke about the work that they are doing to try and change this unjust system. For Meaningful Movies venues that are interested in organizing additional screenings of this film, all three speakers expressed a willingness to participate in future conversations about this documentary. Please contact info@meaningfulmovies.org for more information.