Why did Ryan Coogler set "Sinners" in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in 1932? What do the film's music, Christianity, vampires, and racial dynamics reveal about the Jim Crow South? And how much history is contained in scenes that last only a few seconds?

In this special Sinners Movie Teach-In, historian Dr. Jemar Tisby joins award-winning creator Garrison Hayes to explore the overlooked history and cultural influences behind Ryan Coogler's acclaimed film.

Jemar spent years teaching and living in the Mississippi Delta, not far from Clarksdale, and has devoted his career to studying race, religion, and justice in American history.

Together, Jemar and Garrison examine the film's historical setting, its religious symbolism, the music of the Delta, and the economic structures that shaped Black life long after emancipation.

**Spoiler warning:** This conversation discusses major plot developments and scenes throughout the film.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome and introduction to the Sinners Movie Teach-In

05:18 First impressions of Sinners and its Clarksdale setting

10:18 Chinese immigrants and racial boundaries in the Delta

13:23 Introducing the Sinners Movie Syllabus

16:10 The Mississippi Delta: slavery, cotton, and generational poverty

22:38 Fannie Lou Hamer, education, and Black religious thought

28:34 Christianity, Hoodoo, and African spiritual traditions

33:40 The blues, Robert Johnson, and the juke joint

36:43 The vampires and competing visions of unity

41:08 Convict leasing and the prison labor system

46:37 Sharecropping, plantation money, and debt

51:47 Ryan Coogler's ownership deal and economic power

57:41 Chinese–Black solidarity and survival under Jim Crow

61:35 The Choctaw and Indigenous knowledge

65:59 Irish identity, colonialism, and the construction of whiteness

68:28 How to use the Sinners Movie Syllabus

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Dr. Jemar Tisby is a historian, author, filmmaker, and racial justice advocate whose work explores the intersection of faith, history, and justice.

Garrison Hayes is an award-winning communicator and creator whose work explores history, race, culture, and contemporary issues.

Free Educational Resource: The Sinners Movie Syllabus

Jemar Tisby and historian Keisha N. Blain created the #SinnersMovieSyllabus, a free guide to the history and culture that informed the film.

The syllabus includes books, films, music, and educational materials about the Jim Crow South, Black Christianity, the blues, migration, racial violence, and Black horror.

Read the syllabus HERE

For more discussions about faith, history, and justice, subscribe to Footnotes: