‘They're Trying To Kill Us’ Documentary Exposes Food Injustice in Communities of Color
Published Nov. 11 2021, 12:51 p.m. ET
Food injustice is a crucial issue in communities of color — and the new documentary They're Trying To Kill Us shines an important light on that. The film, which is a follow-up to What the Health and Cowspiracy, and executive produced by Grammy winner Billie Eilish and NBA star Chris Paul, just became available to download, and it’s a must-watch for anyone who cares about justice.
“It’s by design. It is not accidental that this is what’s in the hood, and this is what’s over there,” Ne-Yo says in the film’s trailer. “As long as [industries] can make their dollar, they don’t care if you live or die.”
To learn more about They're Trying To Kill Us, the celebrities who appear in the film, and for the details on how to watch, keep reading.
How to watch ‘They're Trying To Kill Us’ — is it on Netflix?
They're Trying To Kill Us is not currently on Netflix or any other subscription streaming service. As of Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021, at 11 a.m., (that’s 11/11 at 11), the documentary is available to watch via its website. On this page, you can purchase They're Trying To Kill Us for $20, which will give you unlimited access to the film for five years.
A social media post shared by Ellen Flores (and re-shared by They're Trying To Kill Us director John Lewis) states that you can watch the film “for one week only.” That seems to imply that there’s a chance that the movie will be available on streaming services soon, so patience could pay off. But if you’re itching to watch They're Trying To Kill Us, purchasing the doc directly is a great way to support its creators and message.
‘They're Trying To Kill Us’ connects food injustice, racism, and chronic disease.
They're Trying To Kill Us is co-directed by John Lewis, better known as Badass Vegan; and Keegan Kuhn, the creator of Cowspiracy and What the Health. In fact, They're Trying To Kill Us is framed as a follow-up to What the Health, which uncovered the ways the government, food corporations, and major medical organizations are working to keep people sick and turn profits.
They're Trying To Kill Us aims to expose similar injustices, but instead of looking at their overall impact on the U.S., the new film looks at these injustices in communities of color in the U.S., “through the lens of Hip Hop and urban culture.”
The documentary follows Lewis on a journey across the country, as he sets out to discover why “Americans of Color suffer from disproportionately higher rates of chronic disease than their European American counterparts.” In the film, he explores the ways food justice, chronic diseases, race, systemic racism, poverty all intersect, and often come down to government corruption. The movie shows audiences how communities of color are not only disproportionately affected by food injustice and the climate crisis, but also asserts that this is all done by design.
‘They're Trying To Kill Us’ features a number of vegan celebrities, musicians, and doctors.
Billie Eilish and Chris Paul both executive produce and appear in 'They're Trying To Kill Us.'
They're Trying To Kill Us features interviews with a number of famous musicians, including Cedric the Entertainer, Mýa, Mathematics of the Wu-Tang Clan, Ne-Yo, Billie Eilish, Dame Dash, Sa-Roc, Stic of Dead Prez, TxTHEWAY, and Grey.
“You put drugs in the communities, you put guns in the communities, you put disease in the communities, you put poor food in the communities — all these things are designed to shorten your life expectancy,” TxTHEWAY says in the trailer. “Your health is not their main priority. They’re trying to keep you sick,” Grey adds.
A few prominent vegan physicians also appear in They're Trying To Kill Us, such as Dr. Rosa Kincaid, Dr. Michele McMacken, Dr. Milton Mills, Dr. Michael Greger, and Dr. Neal Barnard. “The alcohol industry, fast food industries, tobacco industries target communities of color,” Dr. Greger says in the trailer. “They don’t make a dime if you’re healthy,” Dr. Barnard adds.
You can also expect cameos from a number of notable vegan personalities, like comedian Preacher Lawson, content creator Tabitha Brown, and Slutty Vegan founder Pinky Cole, as well as New York City mayor-elect Eric Adams, Senator Brian Williams, and NBA players Chris Paul and John Salley.
Climate justice and racial justice intersect in so many ways, and They're Trying To Kill Us is sure to do a fantastic job of educating viewers on the importance of understanding intersectionality in social movements.