Sometimes, the way power is negotiated in social justice spaces looks like this: those with more societal power need to relinquish power, and those with less seek to gain more. The misconception is that there is a limited amount of power to share, and so it pits groups against one another. This leads to an endless cycle of bitterness and resentment.

Director Barry Jenkins’ film, “If Beale Street Could Talk” (2018), stays faithful to the central theme of love in James Baldwin’s original novel while adding Jenkins’ own voice.