Raoul Peck Fights for Justice With His Movies
Raoul Peck became known as a filmmaker and vocal advocate for racial justice with the release of his 2016 Academy Award-nominated film “I Am Not Your Negro,” which attempts to complete James Baldwin's unfinished book about the assassinations of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King and Medgar Evers. It was followed in 2021 by another documentary series, “Exterminate All the Brutes.” In his latest film, “Silver Dollar Road,” Peck completes his trilogy about the economic injustice Black people face worldwide. “Silver Dollar Road” closes the circle with a look at a modern-day family’s fight to keep the land they purchased soon after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Guest host and Notes From America Executive Producer André Robert Lee sits down with Raoul to discuss how he came across the story in his latest film, and why he feels compelled to make these movies today. Plus, we hear how Assata Shakur became one of the F.B.I.’s most wanted terrorists in 1973 when state troopers on the New Jersey Turnpike pulled over her and two members of the Black Liberation Army. Tragically, guns were fired, people were killed, and in the aftermath, a political standoff between Shakur and state law enforcement began. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at [email protected]. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here. Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.