Who We Are: Chronicle of Racism in America is a powerful documentary written by civil rights lawyer Jeffery Robinson and directed by sisters, Emily Kunstler and Sarah Kunstler, the daughters of ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ attorney William Kunstler.
The filmmakers have spent their lives immersed in the civil rights movement, which inspired them to make documentaries on criminal justice.
The film takes us back over a 400 years, from slavery to the present day and explores America’s white supremacist roots. It features lectures, personal anecdotes and interviews with friends of Robinson who share their experiences with structural racism and how these inequalities affect them and a confederate supporter and protester who denies the violence of slavery.
The film aims to target people who may not consider themselves personally racist but also may not understand the racist system and society in which they live and participate and conveys the message that it is our collective responsibility to overcome it.
Robinson says: “America has demonstrated its greatness time and time and time again, and America is one of the most racist countries on the face of this earth…those two things are not mutually exclusive.”
Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America, which bowed at SXSW and won the audience award is now nominated by the African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) for best picture. The documentary also received two nominations at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, including the local jury award.
The film is released in selected theatres across the USA on 14th January
