Max has acquired “Gumbo Coalition,” a documentary centered on the efforts of Civil Rights activists Marc Morial of the National Urban League and Janet Murguía of UnidosUS, as they fight to end structural racism during the administration of former president Donald Trump.
“We have to meet the moment. We have to fight back. The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice,” Murguía says in the trailer, which premiered Tuesday. Watch it at the top of the page now.
Together, the two join forces and bring together communities of color in an effort to tackle race-based systemic issues that plagued the country at a heightened rate during between the years 2017 to 2021, while also providing an inside look at the personal lives of Morial and Murguía. The film lands on HBO’s Max on Nov. 6.
“As mayor of New Orleans, we built a strong Black, and White, and Hispanic and Asian community that I call the Gumbo Coalition,” Morial, who served as the mayor of New Orleans from 1994 to 2002 chimes in.
Some of the historical moments and societal issues featured in the documentary include the Black Lives Matter movement, the rise of anti-immigration policies, the murder of George Floyd, criminal justice reform, voting rights and more.
“This is a moment not of politics, this is moment of morality,” Morial says in the trailer. “So this is personal for all of us,” Murguía adds.
The film “Gumbo Coalition” was directed by two-time Academy award-winner Barbara Kopple (“American Dream”), with Kopple, Ray Nowosielski, David Cassidy and Williams Cole serving as producers.
Here’s the film’s official synopsis:
“Gumbo Coalition” follows two visionary civil rights leaders, Marc Morial and Janet Murguía, as they work to empower Black and Latino communities through four turbulent years in America. Directed by two-time Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple, “Gumbo Coalition” takes us on an intimate — and sometimes humorous — journey into their lives, homes, and the family histories that motivate their united mission to create a more just and equitable country. At a dramatic crossroads in American history, these leaders face some of their biggest challenges: the global pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, and the 2020 presidential election and its aftermath.