"Get woke” and “Stay woke” refers to being aware of what's going on around you in regards to racism and social injustice. “Woke” is the past tense of “wake,” and it refers to waking up to what's going on around us.
There's a beauty in documentaries, their ability to truly capture something real and unedited, that you can't always find by watching a movie and the best part about them is that they'll keep you aware of the events that happen across society:
1. "Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry" (2012)
"There are particular moments that allow a voice to change the way people think."
Filmed from 2008 to 2010, the internationally renowned independent Chinese artist, activist and public figure Ai Weiwei, the "Beijing Andy Warhol", is documented during his artistic process as he constantly runs into the danger of speaking out against his motherland's government.
2. "An Inconvenient Truth" (2006)
"Is it possible that we should prepare against other threats besides terrorists?"
An Inconvenient Truth ultimately faces the "moral challenge" of global warming, a "planetary emergency" as former Vice President Al Gore persuasively argues and exposes the many misconceptions against the crisis and attempts to persuade society to get involved before it's too late.
3. "E-Team" (2014)
"In darkness abuse takes place."
This Netflix Original Documentary brings you behind the scenes and enemy lines into one of the world's most dangerous war zones where human atrocities thrive in the midst of dictatorships, as the E-Team speaks out against global genocide.
4. "Miss Representation" (2011)
"Media creates consciousness and if what gets put out there that creates our consciousness is determined by men, then we're not going to make any progress."
"Miss Representation is a 2011 American documentary film written, directed, and produced by Jennifer Siebel Newsom. It explores how mainstream media contribute to the under-representation of women in influential positions by circulating limited and often disparaging portrayals of women."
5. "Waste Land" (2010)
"What I really want to do is change the lives with a group of people with the same material they deal with every day."
This award winning documentary displays the power of transformation in art and humanity as the famous contemporary artist Vik Muniz gathers a few inspirational catadores or pickers of recyclable materials from Jardim Gramacho, the world's largest landfill on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, and gives them the life-changing experiences of being apart of the international art world.
6. "13TH" (2016)
"Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution makes it unconstitutional for someone to be held as a slave. There are exceptions, including criminals."
Ava DuVernay’s eye-opening documentary 13TH refers to the 13th Amendment to the Constitution presents "the horrors of mass criminalization" within the United States prison industry using actual footage and testimony made by from individuals like activists, politicians, historians, and formerly incarcerated women and men.
This is only a small portion of issues that we need to be made more aware in society, but it's a start. Meanwhile, stay educated and stay woke, fam.
