“What do you think about when you think of America?” actor Will Smith poses this question at the beginning of his six-part Netflix documentary Amend: The Fight for America (released last month). We hear “This Land is Your Land” sung as we see images of the Statue of Liberty, fireworks, baseball, apple pie, the moon landing, etc. Then we dive into the heart of the series by learning about the history and impact of the Fourteenth Amendment, and how people struggle to be recognized by the U.S. government and other Americans.

This must-see limited series seamlessly blends narration by Will Smith and others (including Randall Park, Larry Wilmore, Lena Waithe, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Gabriel Luna); interviews with historians, professors, and activists (who share their personal stories as well as professional knowledge); dramatic historical readings by actors; and powerful animation often using the episode title as a metaphor. It juxtaposes archived photos and videos with current ones, showing the links between past and present movements and the intersectionality of justice.