On Tuesday, Netflix announced its latest project from actor, producer, and America’s freshest prince Will Smith and producer and comedian Larry Wilmore.
In a press release sent to The Root, the six-part docuseries titled Amend: The Fight for America, aims to “enlighten, entertain and challenge what Americans know about the Fourteenth Amendment and the unwavering fight for equality.” The series will be directed by Kenny Leon and Reinaldo Marcus Green with Will Smith, Larry Wilmore, Terence Carter, Jana Babatunde-Bey, Jamal Watson, Tom Yellin, Robe Imbriano, Jonna McLaughlin, and Angus Wall all set to executive produce. The series will also feature a handful of today’s brightest and most influential minds such as Bryan Stevenson, Laverne Cox, Sterling K. Brown, Lena Waithe, and more to further expound on the 14th amendment, exploring both the supporting and opposing arguments from that time. The docuseries’ official description per a press release:
Amend: The Fight for America is a six-part docuseries that explores the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution—which, in 1868, promised liberty and equal protection for all persons—as America’s most enduring hallmark of democracy. Amend deploys a groundbreaking narrative format featuring a number of luminaries (Mahershala Ali, Diane Lane, Samuel L. Jackson, Pedro Pascal, Yara Shahidi, and more) breathing life into speeches and writings by the Fourteenth Amendment’s most ardent advocates and foes (including Frederick Douglass, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Andrew Johnson) with insights from an inclusive array of contemporary thought leaders and experts. Executive produced and hosted by Oscar-nominated actor Will Smith and Emmy-winning writer Larry Wilmore, Amend is a powerful, multimedia journey through American history that encourages viewers to question what a “United States” really means.
Speaking on the intention behind this project, Smith said in a statement:
“We believe a deeper understanding of the 14th Amendment is a critical jumping-off point. Our hope with this series is to illuminate the beauty that is the promise of America, and to share a message of connection and shared humanity, so that we will be able to better understand and celebrate our different experiences as Americans and promote progress toward the true equality promised to all persons under the 14th amendment. I’m grateful to Netflix and the phenomenal group of people who came together both in front of and behind the camera to help us tell this story.”
Wilmore added, “I hope families can watch Amend together and have the series be a compelling conversation starter. Everything we’ve seen happen in America in the last few years is about what Black people and other marginalized groups have always wanted: to make sure that we are really part of America and have everything that’s been promised to us by the Constitution. I think it’d be really fantastic if Amend helped people to better understand how special the bond can be between each of us and our country.”
Amend: The Fight for America will premiere globally Wednesday, February 17 only on Netflix.