Ben Crump’s fight against racism and discrimination highlighted in ‘Civil’ trailer

Exclusive: The Netflix documentary produced by Kenya Barris is set to premiere this month, and theGrio has a first look at the trailer.

Jared Alexander

Jun 3, 2022

Civil, Netflix’s documentary on the tireless civil rights attorney who ably represents the families of police violence victims in the U.S., is set to make a splash at the Tribeca Film Festival this month, and theGrio has a first look at the trailer for the highly anticipated project.

As theGrio previously reported, Netflix’s Civil is set to be one of their biggest premieres of the year. It is described by the trailer as “an intimate vérité look following the life of maverick civil rights attorney Ben Crump as he challenges America to come to terms with what it owes his clients — including the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.”

Famed activist attorney Benjamin Crump (left) shares a moment of comfort with one of his clients in the Netflix documentary, “Civil.” (Photo: Netflix)

The trailer brings viewers right into the life of Crump, following the activist lawyer through his daily fight against racism and discrimination. “People seek me out,” he states in a voiceover, “because they want someone they feel they can trust.”

The project, produced by Black-ish creator Kenya Barris, will have its world premiere on Sunday, June 12, at the Tribeca Film Festival, with Barris, Crump, and its director, Nadia Hallgren, all in attendance.

Hallgren, an award-winning filmmaker, helmed Netflix’s 2020 documentary Becoming about former first lady Michelle Obama, which was nominated for four Emmy Awards. She’ll also be producing Civil alongside Barris, Roger Ross Williams and Lauren Cioffi, with Erynn Sampson, Matthew Carnahan and Geoff Martz onboard as executive producers.

Taking a deep dive into his life in and out of the courtroom, Civil is set to be a powerful look at Crump, a true force in America’s legal ecosystem.

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“I have been given influence for a reason, and shame on me if I don’t use that influence,” Crump says toward the end of the clip. “I know who I am and I know whose I am. Always argue for what is right.”

Civil will drop on Netflix on Juneteenth, which is Sunday, June 19.

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