Social Justice Themed Videos

1. All But Name: I first read about this 6-minute documentary in an amazing article about social justice movies from Teaching Tolerance. This video chronicles the story of an undocumented man struggling to pay for college because he’s ineligible for financial assistance. Frisly Soberanis stars in this short film to share his story of what it’s like to be raised in a community, have roots in a city, and yet be totally overlooked because of citizenship status. Not only does he not qualify for financial aid, but Frisly’s undocumented status also leaves him without the chance to get a job that requires documentation. This video would work well with these lesson ideas on immigration reform from PBS Newshour.

2. Occupy Bakery: This 7-minute short film is adapted from the documentary, The Hand That Feeds. This film tells the story of Mahoma López, an undocumented worker who was fed up with being exploited by his bosses at a popular New York City bakery. In the video, López talks about the constant stress and fear of working for someone who hires undocumented workers, fully aware of their legal status, and holds that knowledge over them—never offering fair wages or adequate time off. Mahoma reached out to the directors during the Occupy Wall Street protests and they chronicled his story of organizing other workers to take the steps toward forming their own independent unions. You might want to watch this video with your students while studying labor unions.

3. Mo’ne Davis: I Throw Like a Girl: Directed by Spike Lee, this 16 minute video features 13 year-old, baseball world series star Mo’ne Davis. She wowed sports fans in the summer of 2014 with her 70 MPH fastball. She was on the cover of Sports Illustrated and her story was highlighted on ESPN. This film shows how her family supports this humble athlete who defies gender stereotypes as a baseball, football, and basketball star, all while maintaining a straight A average in school. Mo’ne’s story would be a great introduction to a larger unit on gender equality. Use these Unicef resources to get started!

4. The Beast Inside: Tilwan, a homeless teenage, raps and sings, as well as tells his story over the captivating hand-drawn graphics in this 4 minute animated short. The film is part ofSeattle University’s Project on Family Homelessness. In the film, Tilwan recounts an experience of not being able to get a job based on his appearance; the manager of a fast food restaurant tells him he looks like the kind of guy who would steal. Tilwan then leaves the interview and gives the shoes on his feet to a family worse off than himself. Use this film, along with resources from the Poverty Education Center to create a unit on poverty and homelessness.

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