The movie-turned musical “Hairspray” tells the story of Tracy Turnblad, a full-figured teenager who dreams of dancing on the “The Corny Collins Show” – a locally-produced television show in Baltimore in 1962. Tracy experiences discrimination for her weight, until she learns dance moves from African-American dancers who perform on the shows limited “Negro Day” episodes. Once she is cast on the show, Tracy becomes inspired to advocate for people of all sizes and races, culminating in a racial protest outside the studio. The film is punctuated with Motown-inspired musical numbers, many of which you may have heard even if you are not a devote of musicals. If you’ve not seen this film, you can find it on Amazon Prime, or any number of other streaming platforms.

Our team of Christian antiracism educators and friends sit down to discuss the 2007 movie adaptation as part of our series “Antiracism in the Movies.”