True Crime—I Learned It from You

True Crime then tells the story of Cassandra M. Roy, specifically of her childhood during the school integration movement in Los Angeles. When she finally graduated from high school, her class was 50% black and 50% Japanese (children of internment camp families). Roy describes what it was like growing up black during the height of racial tension stemming from the Civil Rights Movement.

Misty King is half black and half-Native American. Shunned by the girls in her class, King hung out with the boys until she was outed by one of the white mothers. From that moment, her entire life would be a struggle to succeed due to the overt racism of her community and those in charge.

“…a lot to like and admire…”

Wright asks each of his subjects about their earliest memories of someone, pointing out that there are differences or perceived differences between a person of color and white people. Without exception, they state that they were all taught by adults that people with different skin colors were different from them. In other words, racism is a notion that has to be taught.

True Crime—I Learned It from You is about as no-frills as you can get as a documentary. It’s an interview between the filmmaker and his guest speaking to him on Zoom or FaceTime with a soft piano arrangement playing in the background. There is a lot to like and admire about what Wright attempts to accomplish in the series. I already mentioned that he’s simply interviewing his subject and asking questions. He wants them to share their experiences and never guides the interview to fit the current divisive narrative about being non-White in America.

What Wright doesn’t do is treat the interviewees as victims, but instead as survivors. Yes, the minority subjects were victims of racism. But rather than wallow in victimhood, they found, from within, a way to overcome their childhood trauma as survivors and come out stronger individuals as a result. From each interview throughout True Crime—I Learned It from You, there is a sense that everyone involved wants to use their stories to heal the divide and say we can be better people. The conspiracy theorist in me thinks there are forces out there that profit too much by keeping us divided… silly, right?

For more information, visit the True Crime—I Learned It from You official website.