BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTESTS MOVIE

TRANSCRIPT

Text on screen reads: “This movie explores a sensitive subject. Please watch this movie with an
adult, and take time to discuss it.

An animation shows a robot, Moby, watching television news. A girl, Nat, enters.

<Police sirens>

Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Nat and Moby

NAT: Hey, what’re you watch—? Oh.

Nat sits down next to Moby on the couch. Moby hands her a typed letter. Text reads at Nat
narrates:

NAT: Dear Nat and Moby, Why are so many people protesting about racism? I thought we fixed
all that stuff a long time ago. From, Ethan

NAT: I wish that were true, Ethan. A lot of us are taught that racism basically ended with the
Civil Rights Era. That’s activists fought to extend equal rights to all people, regardless of race.
We learn about brave leaders like Fannie Lou Hamer, Malcolm X, and Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. How they fought against segregation: the forced separation of Black people from whites.

An animation shows people protesting during the Civil Rights Movement. Images show Fannie
Lou Hamer, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. Images show a movie theater with a sign
with text, “Rex Theatre for Colored People;” a restaurant with a sign with text, “We serve white
people only!” A train car with a sign “Whites Only;” and two bathroom doors labeled,
“Colored” and “White.”

NAT: How millions of Americans took to the streets in support of change. And how new laws
were put in place to protect African Americans and other minority groups.

An animation shows a massive march on Washington, with Martin Luther King speaking. An
animation shows President Lyndon Johnson signing a law and shaking hands with Martin
Luther King.

NAT: It seems like forever ago, and it’s tough to even image some of the scenes: Ordinary
Americans, throwing trash at the first Black Major League Baseball player... Harassing a little
girl named Ruby Bridges for attending a white school… Attacking people simply for eating
lunch at a segregated counter.

An animation shows white spectators yelling and throwing things at Jackie Robinson, a Black
baseball player. An animation shows a crowd of white men and women yelling angrily. A white
child holds a sign with text, “We want to keep our school white.” A little Black girl, Ruby
Bridges, walks by, holding her mother’s hand. She’s escorted by two white men with badges. A
policeman in uniform holds the angry crowd back. An animation shows three Black men and one
Black woman sitting at a counter in front of a sign with text, “Whites Only.” Someone throws a
cup at them from offscreen.

NAT: Today, most Americans agree that all of that behavior was just… beyond terrible. We
elected a Black President, twice, and who doesn’t love Beyoncé? So, we've changed since then,
right? We must've put racism behind us.

An image shows Barack Obama smiling and waving. The image zooms out to show that picture
is on the cover of the Wall Street Journal newspaper with the headline, “Obama sweeps to
Historic Victory.” Next to the image is the Electoral College result: Obama, 338 votes, McCain,
140 votes. An image shows Beyoncé smiling.
MOBY: Beep.

NAT: Well I know that, I'm just speaking rhetorically…

An animation shows Nat and Moby.

NAT: In a lot of ways, we have changed since then. Interpersonal racism—expressing bigoted
ideas—is widely seen as unacceptable. Nowadays, these people would probably lose their jobs
over this kind of behavior.

Images show the angry crowd shouting at Ruby Bridges and the angry baseball fans yelling at
Jackie Robinson side by side.

NAT: But the protests we're seeing today aren't really about that sort of thing. They're about
structural racism in our society. A built-in system of bias that makes life easier for white people.
And more difficult for Black people and other people of color.

An animation appears of two iconic figures running, one black and one white. The animation
reveals that the white icon is running on a moving walkway, like a treadmill, propelling it
forward. The white figure stops running and stands, as the moving walkway moves it ahead of
the black figure. The animation reveals that the black figure is also running on a moving
walkway, but against the motion of the walkway. The black figure runs faster and faster, and
sweats as it struggles to advance. But the backward motion of the walkway prevents its
advancing, and eventually propels it backward, offscreen.

NAT: It puts them at greater risk for poverty, unemployment, and disease.

Above the moving walkways appear icons representing poverty, unemployment, and disease.
NAT: Structural Racism is a factor in some disturbing trends. Black people are nearly six times
more likely than whites to be imprisoned. And Black men are killed by police at more than twice
the rate of white men… Like on May 25, 2020.

MOBY: Beep?

NAT: That's when a Black man named George Floyd died in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was
killed by a white police officer. During an arrest, officer Derek Chauvin pulled Mr. Floyd to the
ground. Chauvin knelt on his neck, and stayed there for close to nine minutes. Mr. Floyd said
several times that he couldn't breathe. And after a few minutes, he lost consciousness. An
ambulance was called, and George Floyd was pronounced dead at the hospital.

<Ambulance siren>

A series of images of George Floyd, in portrait and with his family, appear on screen. Screen
fades to black.

NAT: After video of the arrest surfaced the next day, all four officers were fired. Officer
Chauvin has been charged with murder, and the other three officers have been charged as
accomplices. And protests have spread from Minneapolis to cities all around the world.
Thousands of marches took place in the month following Floyd's death. These demonstrations
have been overwhelmingly peaceful…

An animation shows a protest on a city street. People hold signs with text, “End Police
Violence,” “I can’t breathe!” and “Black lives matter!” At another protest, people hold signs
with text, “End Racial Violence!” “Black Lives Matter!” and “I Deserve Equality!” An image
shows a woman standing in a city street, holding a sign with text, “Justice Now!”

NAT: Though if you’ve been watching the news, you might think it’s all been riots. News and
social media tend to highlight what's most sensational: unusual, exciting, or scary stuff that gets
people to watch.
An animation shows a TV news cast. A woman news anchor sits at a news desk with text, “Local
8 News,” next to a TV monitor showing a city block with stores on fire. The onscreen chyron
reads, “LIVE: Rioting and Looting Downtown.” An animation shows a webpage titled
FudgeBuzz scrolling down, with quotations popping up, “Woman mugged outside home!“ “We
thought this was a safe neighborhood!” and “Ring of thieves suspected after robbery!”

MOBY: Beep?

NAT: Well, the demonstrations aren't only about Mr. Floyd. They're about a pattern of violence
against Black people. And a tendency for our suffering to go unnoticed. That's why "Black Lives
Matter" is a rallying cry at these demonstrations. The phrase dates back to 2013, in response to a
murder trial in Florida.

An image shows a smiling teenager, Trayvon Martin, with the dates 1995-2013.

NAT: 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot on his way home from a store. His killer wasn't a
police officer—just someone who claimed Martin looked suspicious. After the jury found him
not guilty, three community organizers started the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag.

An image shows Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tomeli, and Alicia Garza.

NAT: A year later, a police officer killed 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
Brown was unarmed when he was shot multiple times. The officer wasn't charged.

An image shows Michael Brown in graduation regalia, with the dates 1996-2014.

NAT: Protests swept Ferguson, and spread throughout the country. That's when Black Lives
Matter grew into a movement: Raising awareness about senseless deaths that might otherwise
have gone unnoticed. Like those of Tamir Rice; Eric Garner; Freddie Gray; Monika Diamond;
Breonna Taylor… and so many others.

Images appear one-by-one of: Tamir Rice, with the dates 2002-2014; Eric Garner, with the
dates 1970-2014; Freddie Gray, with the dates 1989-2015; Monika Diamond, with the dates
1986-2020; and Breonna Taylor, with the dates 1993-2020.

NAT: The protests are calling for justice and accountability. So, "Black Lives Matter" doesn't
mean that other lives don't matter. And it doesn't mean that Black lives are more special than
others. It means we want our lives to be valued as much as anyone else's.

An animation shows Nat and Moby. Then the animation shows a close-up of Nat.

MOBY: Beep.

NAT: This isn't about blaming the police. When an officer abuses their power, that's just a
symptom. The problem is much more widespread than that. Which is why we need everybody's
help to change things. And that's what these protests are about: Raising awareness and calling for
action.

An image appears of a Black Lives Matter protest. A Black woman holds a sign with text, “My
Life Matters,” and other signs have text “Black Lives Matter” and “White Silence is Violence.”

NAT: And guess what: It's already starting to work. In Minneapolis, the city council voted to
remake the police department from the ground up. Other cities are thinking about similar
measures. It seems like overnight, the whole country has woken up and realized what a big
problem racism is. We're living through a huge historical moment right now, so remember it.
'Cause trust me, one day your kids will be asking you about this.

An animation shows Nat and Moby. Then the animation shows a close-up of Nat.
NAT: Throughout our history, movements like this one have led to leaps in progress: like
abolishing slavery; getting votes for women; improving conditions for workers; and ending
segregation.

An animation shows a march during the Civil Rights Movement. Martin Luther King walks at the
front of the crowd. People holds signs with text, “Jobs for All!” “Voting Rights Now!” and “End
Segregation!” Then four images appear onscreen: hands breaking chains; a group of 19th
century suffragists, both Black and white, standing in front of a banner with text, “Votes for
Women;” a group of men in caps striking in the 1930s, holding signs with text “Workers Wages,
Penny Tax on Food” and other slogans about labor; a group of Black people in the 1960s in a
sit-in at a lunch counter labeled “Whites Only.”

NAT: Uniting our voices in peaceful dissent, demanding that our leaders listen, and even making
them a little uneasy. Because when people are comfortable, they don't see a need to change.

NAT: Dr. Martin Luther King called that feeling of unease “creative tension.” In other words,
protest should be peaceful as in non-violent, not necessarily peaceful as in calm or soothing.

Martin Luther King, Jr. is shown writing in a jail cell. Text on screen reads: “Nonviolent direct
action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that has
constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.”

NAT: Bringing about change in our society is an ongoing struggle: Each new generation has to
take up their cause.

MOBY: Beep?

An animation shows Nat and Moby.

An image of a young girl, Mari Copeny, appears.

NAT: Emma Gonzalez, a survivor of the Parkland school shooting in Florida, has fought for
tougher gun laws.

An animation shows Emma Gonzalez, a teenager, speaking at a podium, in front of a banner

NAT: Malala Yousefzai stood up for girls’ education, even after she was brutally attacked.

An image of Malala Yousefzai, a young woman in a head scarf, appears.

NAT: Greta Thunberg has helped focus the world's attention on climate change.

An animation shows Greta Thunberg, a teenager, lifting a sign with text, “Stop climate change!”

NAT: And let's not forget Darnella Frazier: the 17-year-old girl who recorded George Floyd's
arrest.

An image of Darnella Frazier, a teenager, appears.

NAT: When we raise our voices to say something's wrong, adults listen. 'Cause, let's face it, kids
tell it like it is! And believe it or not, adults are inspired by that.
An animation shows Nat and Moby.

MOBY: Beep?

NAT: You can start by asking questions about things in your world: Is there something in your
own community, or school, that bothers you? Listen to your inner sense of right and wrong.
Because every change for the better starts with someone's conscience. So, trust your own, and
give it a voice.

The animation shows Nat in close-up. The screen fades to black.