“Robinson’s quasi-TED Talk is both broad-ranging and deep, covering a history that is political, legal, cultural, economic, psychological, emotional, moral and, in the end, also profoundly personal.” - Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post
“Who We Are should be made required viewing in every American school as we find ourselves perched, once again, at a pivotal tipping point.” - Matt Fagerholm, RogerEbert.com
Former ACLU Deputy Legal Director Jeffery Robinson had one of the best educations in America. He went to Marquette University and Harvard Law School and has been a trial lawyer for over 40 years. In 2011, Robinson began raising his then 13-year-old nephew and, as a Black man raising a Black son, struggled with what to tell his son about racism in America. How, he wondered, did we get here? And when he started looking at American history, Robinson was shocked by what he had not known. For the past 10 years, in community centres, concert halls, houses of worship, and conference rooms across America, he has been sharing what he learned. In WHO WE ARE — A CHRONICLE OF RACISM IN AMERICA, Robinson faces his largest audience, asking all of us to examine who we are, where we come from, and who we want to be. Anchored by Robinson’s 2018 performance at NYC’s historic Town Hall Theatre, the film interweaves historical and present-day archival footage, Robinson’s personal story, and observational and interview footage capturing Robinson’s meetings with Black change-makers and eyewitnesses to history. From a hanging tree in Charleston, South Carolina, to a walking tour of the origins of slavery in colonial New York, to the site of a 1947 lynching in rural Alabama, the film brings history to life, exploring the enduring legacy of white supremacy and our collective responsibility to overcome it.
Awards: 5 wins, 8 nominations
Nominated - Best Documentary, AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, 2022
Winner - AAFCA Award, Best Independent Film, African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA), 2022
Nominated - Best Documentary, Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, 2021
Winner - Bridging the Borders Award, Special Mention, Palm Springs International Film Festival, 2022
Winner - Golden Space Needle Award, Best Documentary, Seattle International Film Festival, 2021
Winner - Audience Award, Documentary Spotlight, SXSW Film Festival, 2021
Nominated - New Directors Competition, Best Film, São Paulo International Film Festival, 2021
Winner - Films for Change Award, Woodstock Film Festival, 2021