United Blackout As holiday plans continue, so do efforts to make this Black Friday – typically one of the biggest shopping days of the year – a day of national action against human rights violations.

In addition to calling for a nationwide boycott of major retailers this Friday, November 28, filmmaker Ryan Coogler’s Blackout for Human Rights initiative has organized a series of events to mobilize communities across the country to action.

On the west coast, Ava DuVernay’s AFFRM and Blackout will present "Cinema, Conversation + Change." The day will include free screenings of "Fruitvale Station," "Middle of Nowhere" and "25 to Life" at Downtown Independent in Los Angeles, with community dialogue following each film. Tickets can be found online HERE.

AFFRM BlackOut Black Cinema On the east coast, Coogler and filmmaker Shaka King will present a screenplay reading of Spike Lee’s "Do The Right Thing," with a contemporary cast that includes Michael B. Jordan and John Turturro.

The event takes place at Lincoln Center’s Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center Amphitheater in New York at 7:00 PM. Free tickets for the reading will be distributed at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center box office (144 West 65th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam) on a first-come, first-served basis starting one hour prior to the screening.

Do The Right Thing Reading Donations of canned food and personal care items will be collected at both events. Those that aren’t in New York or Los Angeles can follow both events on social media by following @UnitedBlackout and the #BlackOutBlackFriday hashtag. They can use the same hashtag to add their voices to the conversation on standing against human rights violations perpetrated against US citizens by public servants.