In the wake of recent deadly shootings of unarmed black people and the ongoing debate over police brutality, Ava DuVernay, Ryan Coogler, David Oyelowo, Boris Kodjoe, Mara Brock Akil, and other prominent black filmmakers and actors are coming together and speaking out.
Blackout for Human Rights — an activist collective founded by Coogler that previously threw the #JUSTICEFORFLINT benefit event on the eve of the 2016 Oscars — assembled a team of celebrities to release "My Life Matters," a series of videos addressing police violence. Each video features a star recounting their life accomplishments as a way of paying tribute to specific black Americans who perished at the hands of law enforcement. The series was created for the Movement for Black Lives' "Freedom Now" National Day of Direct Action.